By now, you have undoubtedly heard about Ghana’s Year of Return initiative in 2019 and the massive success of the campaign for the tourism industry and the nation of Ghana as a whole. If you were not here in 2019, you no doubt heard hundreds of times that you “missed out”! And, if you were, you may catch yourself reliving the good vibes from time to time. The Year of Return was initiated by the President of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to commemorate 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived in the United States of America.
Starting in 2018, Ghana began to plant the seed for the Year of Return by hosting slews of celebrities for the first “Full Circle Festival” in December 2018. Notable guests included Anthony Anderson, Idris Elba, Naomi Campbell, Cynthia Bailey, Gabourey Sidibe, Jidenna, and many more. The 2019 edition saw 500 individuals (celebrities and their families) enjoying Ghana’s nightlife, events, and cultural sites.
The Ghana Tourism Authority estimates that over 750,000 tourists visited Ghana in 2019 generating over US $3.312 billion in revenue according to Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister, Barbara Oteng-Gyasi. Wild Tours Limited was fortunate to host several groups throughout the Year of Return period with our most popular locations being Cape Coast, and Accra City.