THE PRESENT CONDITION OF TOURISM AT KINTAMPO WATERFALLS, GHANA. 29/03/17
Introduction With all the technological advancement existing with us today, mankind is only able to predict the occurrence and intensity of natural disasters. As Kendrick Frazer (1979) argues; powerful forces of nature are not something apart from the natural order of things. They are the natural consequences of a quest for balance, an outgrowth of the need for equilibrium. The news of Kintampo Waterfall disaster that occurred and killed about 20 students and tourists at Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana is something the world cannot just forget. It is upon this note that I am writing to elaborate upon the importance of tourism to Kintampo, the recent natural disasters affecting tourism at Kintampo, the impact of natural disaster on tourism demand and developments as well as provide the phases of recovery to the destination. At the end, I will give some recommendation on the way to revamp the industry in this particular area to help boost tourism activities and improve livelihood.
Body It is a fact that the global economy is currently driven by three major industries, namely: Technology, Telecommunication and Tourism (Mishra 2008, 29). Tourism has always been regarded as the impetus that brings in new business opportunities and economic development for a region and as an industry, there are several factors that have an impact on it both positively and negatively. One such aspect is the natural disasters.
The waterfalls at Kintampo has encouraged the fast development seen in the area and has accounted to the positiveness of livelihood of the inhabitants, dwellers and tourist as a whole. The improvement of social, cultural, economic and infrastructural phenomenon at this town which some believe is the centre of Ghana is overwhelming. Thus, a blow to this major backbone of the Kintampo Township can be described as a severe commotion to a community’s survival and livelihood. This is just because a potential tourist will believe the place is dangerous and this will decrease tourism inflow to Kintampo drastically. It is therefore truism to justify that irrespective of how naturally endowed a destination is, peaceful atmosphere let that destination boom in its resources. Since tourism is quiet a sensitive industry, terrorism, natural disasters, political instability among others could prevent tourism inflow (AranĚƒa & LeoĚ n 2008). Hence there is always a symbolic relationship
between peaceful destination and tourism generations of a destination therefore as Sonmez (1998) argues, the absence of death, fear or sadism is a pre-condition for potential tourist. As Faulkner (2001, 136) states, “relatively little systematic research has been carried out on disaster phenomena in tourism, the impacts of such events on the tourism industry and the responses of industry and relevant government agencies to cope with these impacts”. My article does not intend to bring sorrow to families, readers or the citizens of Ghana that have had their loved ones killed or injured in sorrowful occurrence but to discuss the disaster in relations to impacts it will have on tourism at the area and Ghana as a whole. I will elaborate on responses and patterns of recovery following disaster and the role the media ought to play in situations like these. I will therefore focus on O’Connor et al. (2008) three distinct phases of recovery to anticipate the recovery process of tourism at Kintampo. The stages as proposed are; v Phase one: Immediate Shock – This stage would be the immediate time after the incident when virtually every business is at a halt and the site is closed down. The inhabitants, Government, Tourist and almost everybody has being watching and hoping to get a glimpse of what is happening. v Phase two: Initial Reaction - Tourists pursue some exploration into resuming regular tourism patterns. Special attention is thus intended to revamp the waterfalls and activities at Kintampo in general. v Phase three: Considered Response - This is where the site is reopened and people start to patronize the destination bringing it to normal business activity. It is important to maintain media coverage to portray the positive image. It gives the consumers the peace of mind that the destination is open for business. The waterfall at Kintampo has indeed been beneficial to the community and the Government of Ghana. It is one of the backbones of the community and has as well pinned the location on the world map for many years. Indeed not withstanding the economic benefits and the government local tax revenue, it has created jobs for the youth and the working class in the area and its surroundings thereby reducing unemployment among the youth. Another important benefit of the falls to the area is community pride. Whenever a community discovers that it has something to offer visitors, a sense of community pride can
develop. Residents of a community who take pride in their heritage can make the community even more attractive, enriching it culturally and economically.
Whenever one thinks of tourism, His/her memories are filled with vacations, fun, relaxation, sightseeing, good health and beautiful surroundings, Natural disasters, on the other hand, bring to mind images of destruction, death, and tragedy thus natural disasters and tourism conjure up entirely different images and situations and therefore such a destination is not ideal for vacations. In employing O’Connor et al. (2008) three phases of recovery in this situation to this article, it is essential to elaborate the recovery process as discussed above; Phase one in this situations seem to have been dealt with. Immediately after the incident, the ministry of tourism in Ghana issued a statement that the waterfalls has been closed down pending recommendation as to the cause and the way forward after the vice president and his entourage visited the place to mourn with the bereaved families and wish hope for the injured most of whom were students. These developments were recorded and reported in the various media to deliver information and messages to the public who are eager to know what was happening. Phase two ought to be dealt with in a way that tourist and the general public will have confidence at the destination that it is not a death trap and dangerous place for one to visit. This phase or stage in crucial in the sense that the government and the stakeholders needs to come together to educate the masses on the steps taken so as to control future occurrences or to limit the number of casualties should something of that sort happen in the future. This is the time to train tour operators, guides and the security forces on how to handle situations upon disasters. The government needs to provide the necessary tools and equipment needed by the National Fire Service department, police, Ambulance and the tour guides so that proper measures would be employed. Phase three also plays an active role in these stages, as it is important to maintain media coverage to portray the positive image to gives the consumers the peace of mind that the destination is open for business. This stage is where people who visit this site will attest to potential tourists that indeed the place has been revamped and the needed security measures are in place.
Conclusion In conclusion, it was evidential clear to myself, since I have had the opportunity to visit the place and almost anyone who has ever visited Kintampo waterfalls that “the nation was sitting on a time bomb all these years as tourists patronized the waterfalls oblivious of the danger it posed to their lives” (Adu-Gyamerah, graphic online, 24 March 2017). The situation was dangerous since unprofessional people were managing the facility. The staircase leading to the falls itself was a dangerous one and a death trap. Another life threatening situation was the spate at which the farmers were encroaching upon the lands surrounding the fall thereby becoming a treat to wildlife conservation. The media publicity and reportage coupled with the calibre of people interviewed concerning the situation was worrying. Yes it is true Margaret Thatcher refers to the media as “the oxygen of publicity” because the manner the media portrayed the waterfalls and its surroundings as dangerous to satisfy its audience, the tourism industry suffers since consumer confidence at that particular destination diminishes (O'Connor Noëlle 2008). It is also not always the case that disaster at tourism site yields negative response since some tourists might also wish to visit a particular destination so as to have a feel of how it is before and after a disaster. A typical example of such a place is the Boscastle, a village and
fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, UK that witnessed the worst flash floods in 2004. The government’s reconstruction and restructuring programme saw more tourists touring the site after new images and videos were advertised. It is therefore recommended to implement measures to protect the little tourism destinations the nations has so as to boost the confidence level of local tourists thereby attracting international tourists into the country since “the contribution of tourism and travel to both industrialized and developing countries is now so great that any downturns in the level of activity are a cause for concern” (Blake & Sinclair 2002). Again, proper crisis management plan needs to be put in place to handle any future occurrence at any destination in Ghana since it became clear that Ghana Tourism providers, stakeholders, managers, the ministry of tourism and the tourism authority do not have crisis management plans in place. The security forces should as well be trained to handle such crises effectively and the necessary equipments should be provided. Furthermore, personnel managing tourism facilities and destinations should be given adequate training and education on each particular facility since lack of proper knowledge of a facility could resort to increase in casualties should future occurrence happen. Moreover, It is recommended that facilities at the Kintampo waterfalls should be improved to meet proper standards. The toilet and urinal facilities are those the writer will pinpoint since it falls far below expected of a tourism destination that seeks to attract tourists both local and internationally.
Sources: Araña & León. (2008). The Impact of Terrorism on Tourism demands. 35 (2), 299-315. Business monitor. (2013). KENYA TOURISM REPORT Blake & Sinclair. (2002). Tourism Crisis Management: adjusting to a temporary downturn. Kendrick Frazier (1979). The Violent Face of Nature: Severe Phenomena and Natural Disasters
O'Connor NoeĚˆlle, M. R. (2008). The impact of global terrorism on Ireland's tourism industry: An industry perspective. Tourism & Hospitality Research, 8 (4), 351.
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