The Ghana Tourism Development Policy of 2006 was developed as\nthe basis for accelerated tourism development in the country. The policy�s\nobjective is to provide high-quality visitor experiences that are profitable to\ndestinations stakeholders while ensuring that the destinations are not\ncompromised in terms of their environmental, social, and cultural integrity.\nThis study investigates whether tourism development in the Lake Bosomtwe\nBasin is proceeding in accord with the tenets of the policy. The evidence\nshows that there is a wide gap between policy and practice. Tourism\ndevelopment is ad hoc, haphazard and seemingly unsustainable. Tourism\nactivities have weak linkages to other sectors of the local economy. Water,\ndrainage and sewer systems of established tourism facilities have not been\nstreamlined into respective receptacles nor integrated into local community\nsystems, resulting in improper disposal of wastes. Despite these\nshortcomings there are benefits such as increased tourist arrivals; new\nincome generating activities; creation of jobs; development of local\ninfrastructure; and diversification of agriculture. The conclusion is that if\ntourism (unlike primary exports promotion; and industrialization) is to\nsucceed as a development option for Ghana, planning, developing and\nregulating the sector (presently largely ad hoc and exclusionary) should be\ncontrolled and should include destination communities.
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