Victor B. Teye

Residents' attitudes toward tourism development

In recent years, tourism has been playing a more significant role in the economies of several African countries, including Ghana. The purpose of the paper is to examine attitudes of residents of two of its towns toward tourism development. Factor analysis of scaled items measuring their attitudes resulted in seven tourism-related factors: social interaction with tourists, beneficial cultural influences, welfare impacts, negative interference in daily life, economic costs, sexual permissiveness, and perception of crowding. Results indicate residents’ expectations from tourism development were not met and also individuals working in related businesses have negative attitudes toward the industry.

Understanding Residents’ Support for Tourism Development in the Central Region of Ghana

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to assess the determinants of support for tourism development in two adjacent communities, Cape Coast and Elmina, in the Central Region of Ghana, which stand to benefit the most from tourism development projects; and (2) to create and test a model for its explanatory power of residents’ support for tourism. Personal interviews of 465 respondents were conducted in both communities. Factor analysis was used to obtain measures for dependent and independent variables. Two dependent variables—support for the hospitality industry and support for the infrastructure and tourism attraction development—were influenced by a multitude of social-psychological factors such as perceptions toward tourists and tourism’s impacts, respondents’ employment status, membership in community organizations, and awareness of tourism development projects in the community. Theoretical and practical contributions of the factors are discussed within the framework of social exchange theory.

Liberation wars and tourism development in Africa: The case of Zambia

Abstract Development of Africas immense tourism potential is severely limited for reasons including lack of capital, distance from the large North American and European markets, the cost of travel to Africa, and Africas poor image abroad. A key factor contributing to this image problem is political instability. Since World War II, almost all African countries have achieved independence. In several countries, this decolonization process has taken the form of long and often bloody liberation wars. This paper examines the impact of Zimbabwes protracted liberation war on tourism development in Zambia and suggests that a detailed examination of major internal and external political events associated with the decolonization process in Zimbabwe could provide important perspectives on the obstacles to tourism development in other African countries.

The Varied Colors of Slave Heritage in West Africa White American Stakeholders

Although White Europeans have played notable roles in shaping the contemporary political and social economy of Africa, it is Africans in the diaspora who actively trace their heritage to Africa. As a result, African Americans in particular have become the primary market for Africa’s expanding heritage tourism sector. This article argues that several slave heritage sites in Africa embody the heritage of the African countries, various European countries, and Africans in the diaspora. The development of slave heritage tourism sites in Africa therefore involves the concept of contested heritage with emotional and painful undercurrents. The article examines the development of the slave heritage at Elmina Castle in Ghana by American and some international agencies and concludes that White American visitors to the site noted distinct sets of experiences that reflect deep emotional reactions to the past, present, and future. The study reflects some of the prospects and challenges facing the development of the proposed UNESCO Slave Route Project.

The white Caucasian and ethnic minority cruise markets: Some motivational perspectives:

There is substantial research that profiles the nature of tourists and the motivations that underlie their general travel behaviour. Travel research on racial and ethnic minority groups is very limited, however. Furthermore, hardly any work exists on the travel motivations of cruise tourists in general. Based on a survey of North American cruise passengers, this paper compares the motivations of white Caucasians and ethnic minority passengers for taking a cruise vacation. The results indicate that while there are many similarities, a number of important differences exist to warrant strategies for attracting more minority passengers to take cruise vacations.

Prospects for regional tourism cooperation in Africa

Abstract This article examines the potential for regional cooperation in the field of tourism in sub-Sahara Africa. It looks at the nature and objectives of existing regional organizations and discusses obstacles which impede progress. The article shows that an array of internal (African) and external organizations provide broad institutional frameworks for regional tourism cooperation. However, tourism-specific cooperative programmes and activities are limited. The paper concludes that the Caribbean experience provides a good model for regional tourism cooperation in Africa.

The role of computer reservations systems: international implications for the travel industry.

Abstract Computer reservations systems (CRS) have become critical instruments in the marketing and distribution of travel and tourism products and services. New systems have recently been developed in Western Europe, while the Asian and Pacific regions are in the process of establishing their own systems. This article reviews the importance of CRS with particular reference to the experience of the travel industry in the USA. Issues inherent in the application of the systems are discussed, and policy issues in response to the sophistication and global expansion of CRS are examined.

Commentary: Tourism plans and planning challenges in Ghana

Abstract Due to its multidisciplinary nature, tourism planning is a complex activity requiring an integrated approach, private and public sector partnership, and inter‐agency and inter‐sectoral coordination, as well as community involvement. For most developing countries, comprehensive and systematic tourism planning is a new or recent phenomenon. This paper describes the tourism planning experience of Ghana, examines the current 15‐year Tourism Development Plan for the period 1996–2010, and briefly discusses some of the challenges facing the successful implementation of the tourism plan.

Cruise line industry and Caribbean tourism: guests' motivations, activities, and destination preference

This study examines passengers� motivations for taking a cruise vacation, their travel-related activities while on vacation, and their preferences to return to each destination for a land-based vacation. The study is based on a survey of cruise passengers on a 10-day itinerary with six ports-of-call from Miami, Florida to the Caribbean. Five underlying dimensions of cruise passengers� motivations were found: Convenience/Ship Based, Exploration, Escape and Relaxation, Social, and Climate. The findings of the study indicate that while the majority of respondents participated in shore excursions and a diverse range of activities in port, they had mixed rankings of destinations on the itinerary. Generally, passengers ranked the more developed destinations higher, spent more money in port, and traveled further from the port area. Furthermore, destinations that were ranked high were also those that respondents indicated preference to return for land-based holidays, suggesting that the satisfaction with a port destination and the activities participated in could influence passengers� intent to return.

Land transportation and tourism in Bermuda

Abstract Tourism continues to be the principal contributor to Bermudas economic prosperity. The automobile has become the visible symbol of economic prosperity to the extent that past and present policies to curtail the explosion in the growth of vehicles Is ineffectual. Like many island microstates, Bermudas land area is very small. However, its economic prosperity has left very little room for the expansion of the supply of its road system. The land transportation problems threaten to damage the ‘Bermuda image’, the bedrock of the thriving tourist industry. Current transportation policy excludes rental cars on the island, making motor cycles the popular choice of tourists. Conflicts among means of land transportation, resident and tourist road users and the threat to the ‘Bermuda image’ call for more drastic measures to deal with the problem.