Kwaku Adutwum Boakye

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.

Policing tourism: the emergence of specialist units

Specialist tourist police units are a recent development in many countries where tourism is important to the economy and where crimes associated with tourism are recognised. However, such developments are scarcely universal. This paper focuses on three contrasting examples: the UK, where there are no specialist tourist police, despite a clear relationship between tourism and crime and disorder; Ghana, where tourist police have been introduced relatively recently; and the USA, where tourist police units are an established part of policing structures in tourist areas like Florida. After describing the current situation in each area, the paper concludes with a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of specialist units and the reasons why contrasting policies have emerged.

An econometric analysis of internal travel patterns in Ghana and the implications for domestic tourism.

This paper examines the general travel patterns of Ghanaians and, based on these, explores the implications for domestic tourism. Employing discrete choice models, data from the Ghana Statistical Service (specifically, the fifth round of the Ghana Living Standard Survey) are used for the analysis. In addition to providing a quantitative analysis of the determinants of travel propensity, which had not previously been examined for Ghana, the authors test two hypotheses. First, they assert a three-way (positive–negative–positive) relationship between age and travel propensity. Second, they argue that the mothers education is more likely to influence the decision to travel than the fathers education. The travel patterns of Ghanaians were found to bear the inherent hallmarks of domestic tourism. The authors also observe that, although the degree of travel is low, the frequency of repeat visits is high. Social imperatives dominated the motives for travel, while key socio-demographic variables (especially the respondents age) were found to influence travel propensities significantly.

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.

Backpackers’ views on risk in the Cape Coast-Elmina area of Ghana

Abstract The backpacker market segment is recognized as one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism trade. Despite its growth, literature suggests that the peculiar characteristics of backpackers predispose them to varied forms of risks. Consequently, the study sought to examine backpackers’ perspectives on issues concerning risk in the Cape Coast-Elmina area. Data were obtained from 387 backpackers to the Cape Coast-Elmina area in Ghana using the systematic sampling method. A Chi-square test was performed to explore the relationship between backpackers’ perception of risk and their travel and socio-demographic characteristics. Making inference to the perceived risk theory, the study identified three main risk areas, health, finance and crime, to be of concern to backpackers surveyed from the study area. The results suggest significant associations between some socio-demographic characteristics (gender and highest level of education) and risk perception. Likewise, some significant associations were observed between the respondents’ perception of risk and their length of stay, accommodation preference and travel party size.