Issahaku Adam

Hotel characteristics and location decisions in Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana

Abstract This study identified and assessed the differences in the extent to which location factors were considered by hotel owners based on certain characteristics of their hotels in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. The behavioural thought on industrial location decisions was used as a framework to identify and assess hotel owners’ location decisions. Data on hotel location decisions were collected from 153 hotel owners in the Kumasi Metropolis and analysed with the chi-square test of independence. It was found that the extent to which location factors such as economic, neighbourhood characteristics, physical site characteristics, laws and regulations, socio-cultural and transport factors considered by hotel owners differed by hotel location, hotel category, ownership, age of hotel and the number of rooms in a hotel. Hotel location factors are considered differently based on hotel characteristics.

Urban hotel development patterns in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana.

Knowledge of urban hotel development patterns is key to proper planning and management of urban destinations. However, there is a paucity of empirical studies on the development patterns of hotels within the African context. The purpose of this study was to analyse the hotel development patterns in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. The study revealed that three main periods which coincide with the history of tourism development, characterised hotel development in the Metropolis. Again, it was revealed that higher rated hotels (one to four stars) were located in the core of the Metropolis whilst budget hotels dominated in the periphery. It was therefore concluded that hotel development is closely related to tourism development in the Metropolis.

Perceived spatial agglomeration effects and hotel location choice

Spatial agglomeration is a firm behaviour and mostly occurs because of competition among firms to enjoy spatial agglomeration effects and have the tendency to influence hotel location choice. However, the literature on urban tourism has mostly neglected the influence of perceived spatial agglomeration effects on hotel location choice, especially in the developing countries. The study assessed the influence of perceived spatial agglomeration effects in determining hotel location in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. Data were collected from hotel owners in the Metropolis and analysed with the χ2 test of independence and binary logistic regression. Four main perceived spatial agglomeration effects were found to significantly determine hotel location in the Metropolis.

Leisure motivation of people with physical and visual disabilities in Ghana

Abstract Leisure motivation is central to the provision of leisure services especially to marginalised groups such as disabled people who may have different interests from non-disabled people. Using cross-sectional data from 536 people with physical and visual disabilities, this study assessed the leisure motivations of disabled people in Ghana. The findings suggest that the motivations of people with visual and physical disabilities were fourfold, namely competence mastery, social, intellectual, and stimulus avoidance. The influence of social motivation varied across marital status and household size, while stimulus avoidance varied by type of disability, sex, and employment status. Competence mastery and intellectual motivation varied across sex and income levels. It was concluded that the leisure motivations of disabled people in this study are based on their personal circumstances; they are heterogeneous. The study recommends that research on leisure motivation should be conducted with reference to specific context and interpreted in relation to the individual’s circumstances.

Are we our own enemies? Leisure constraints of physically and visually disabled people in Ghana

ABSTRACT Knowledge on leisure constraints is important in advancing the discourse on leisure participation particularly amongst marginalized populations such as disabled people. Research on leisure constraints of disabled people in the contexts of developing African countries is minimal despite their different socio-cultural, economic and political environments. The concepts of both disability and leisure have socio-cultural inclinations and thus define and shape the nature and type of constraints encountered by disabled people. Using the symbolic interactionist perspective, this paper discusses the leisure constraints of visually and physically disabled people in Ghana in relation to their socio-cultural milieu. Data for the study were obtained from visually and physically impaired individuals through focus group discussions. It was revealed that inaccessible physical environment, negative attitude of non-disabled members of society towards disabled people, inadequate support from family and friends and exclusion in social and national programmes were the leisure constraints encountered by the disabled people. The implications for ensuring inclusion and minimizing the effects of these constraints on leisure participation are discussed.

A structural decompositional analysis of eco-visitors’ motivations, satisfaction and post-purchase behaviour

ABSTRACT A series of studies have demonstrated the relevance of visitors’ motivation, satisfaction and post-consumption behaviour to sustainable management of attractions, but existing knowledge on the intricate causal relationships among these issues in the context of eco-tourism is limited. Using data from 342 visitors to the Kakum National Park in Ghana and a structural equation modelling approach, this study advances understanding of the intersecting relationships, both at aggregate and at disaggregate levels, among eco-visitors’ motivation, satisfaction and future behaviour. The ensued results not only confirm but also offer unique insights into the hypothesis that specific expectations, which are mirrored in travel motivations, matter to specific satisfaction evaluations with consumptions experiences and downstream effects on future behaviour. However, these causal relationships are not uniform after controlling for eco-visitors’ sex, educational attainment and marital status. Implications of the results to theory and sustainable practice in eco-tourism settings have been discussed.

International Tourists' Satisfaction with Ghanaian Upscale Restaurant Services and Revisit Intentions

Tourists’ satisfaction with restaurant services tend to generate repeat visitation. The interrelationships between international tourists’ satisfaction of restaurant services and intentions to revisit have, however, received little empirical attention from academics in Ghana. Data were randomly collected from 768 international tourists in Ghana and analyzed using factor analysis and binary logistic regression. International tourists were generally satisfied with the services of Ghanaian upscale restaurants. International tourists who were satisfied with the tangibles, reliability, assurance-empathy, and responsiveness dimensions of the upscale restaurant services showed a higher likelihood of revisiting the restaurants than did their counterparts who were dissatisfied.

People with visual impairment ‘watching’ television? Leisure pursuits of people with visual impairment in Ghana

Abstract Leisure pursuits of people with visual impairment is one of the under-researched concepts in disability discourse. Employing focus group discussions, this study explored the leisure pursuits of people with visual impairment. Their leisure pursuits include chatting, sleeping, listening to radio, meditation and watching television. The watching of television is traditionally considered unconventional for people with visual impairment; however, this was pursued for multiple reasons including as a form of resistance to traditional stereotypes on visual impairment as well as its educational and informative values. Reasons underlying their leisure pursuits include availability and accessibility, desire to obtain information and relaxation.

Leisure aspirations of people with visual impairment in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana

ABSTRACT Despite the contestation of the existence of leisure freedom, particularly among marginalized populations such as people with disabilities, there have been limited studies to ascertain their leisure aspirations. The negative socio-cultural connotations of disability in Ghana further constricts disabled peoples’ leisure freedom and therefore warrants research into their leisure aspirations. Employing data obtained from 330 people with visual impairment, via a questionnaire, the study established that the respondents exercised limited freedom in the choice of their leisure activities. Activities desired but out of their reach included jogging, playing board games (ludo, oware and drafts) playing football, reading, visiting recreational areas, and visiting friends and relatives. Reasons for their inability to indulge in desired activities encompassed bodily dysfunction, financial constraints, lack of social support and inaccessible physical environment. The probability of facing any of these constraints was based on the respondents’ age, marital status, formal educational status and monthly income.