GHANA’S December in GH campaign has long been celebrated as the country’s ultimate tourism draw — a festive season so electric it seemed to single-handedly put Ghana on the global map. But the numbers tell a more complicated story.

According to the Ghana Tourism Authority’s (GTA) 2025 Tourism Report, business travel, not holiday festivities, remains the single biggest reason international visitors come to Ghana, even in December.

The finding cuts against the widespread perception that Detty December’s dazzling run of concerts, nightlife and celebrity appearances is what primarily fills the country’s hotels and airports.

In the report, business affairs account for 31 per cent of all inbound travel. Visiting family and friends follows at 23 per cent, with leisure tourism at 11 per cent and holidays at nine per cent. Conferences make up seven per cent, study and training five per cent, and other reasons account for the remaining 14 per cent.

The report also sketches a portrait of Ghana’s typical international visitor: highly educated and professionally accomplished. Some 79 per cent hold tertiary qualifications, and 69 per cent are executives or professional travellers.

These findings arrive at a moment when Ghana’s December calendar has never enjoyed more global attention, drawing diaspora travellers, celebrities and tourists from across the world.

The festive season has become synonymous with packed venues, cultural showcases and experiences that have helped position Ghana as one of Africa’s premier holiday destinations.

Yet the data suggests that beneath the glamour and social media buzz, it is Ghana’s reputation as a regional commercial hub that continues to be its most durable tourism asset.

That is not to diminish what December in GH has built. The initiative drew a largely young and economically active audience — the majority of participants fell within the 18-to-39 age bracket, with 76 per cent either employed or self-employed. Visitor confidence in Ghana as a destination was striking: 96 per cent said they intended to return.

Spending figures reinforce the initiative’s economic weight. Average expenditure on accommodation alone exceeded GH¢966 a day, with additional spending on food and beverages, entertainment, shopping and transportation feeding directly into local economic activity.

The findings carry added significance given the tensions that surfaced in Ghana’s festive tourism calendar last year. The Diaspora Affairs Office, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held the inaugural Diaspora Summit on the theme Resetting Ghana: The Diaspora as the 17th Region.

The gathering of diaspora members, policymakers, investors and development stakeholders that generated considerable friction within the creative industry.

The 2025 Ghana Tourism Report provides a comprehensive, data-driven overview of Ghana’s tourism performance and key industry trends. Covering the period from 2023 to 2025, the report places particular emphasis on tourism activities and outcomes recorded in 2025.

According to the report, Ghana's 10 most visited tourist attractions recorded a combined total of 1,377,588 visitors, accounting for 77 per cent of all domestic tourist visits. This highlights the extent to which tourism activity in the country is concentrated around a few major destinations.

The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park retained its position as Ghana's most visited tourist attraction, recording 302,523 visitors during the period under review.

Kakum National Park ranked second with 203,222 visitors, while Bunso Arboretum secured third place with 149,319 visits. Cape Coast Castle followed in fourth position with 141,523 visitors, while the Manhyia Palace Museum rounded out the top five with 120,328 visits.

The remaining attractions in the top 10 list were Kumasi Zoo, Accra Zoo, Elmina Castle, Shai Hills Resource Reserve and the Aburi Botanical Gardens, in that order.