From Ghana to the Caribbean: How Local-Led Tourism Job Growth Offers a Blueprint for Resilient Island Economies

In the wake of the pandemic and ensuing travel disruptions, one of the most compelling stories in global tourism is the resurgence of local-led growth. In Ghana, for example, the sector directly employed 370,000 people in 2024 and indirectly supported some 813,000 jobs, thanks in large part to home-grown tourists spending in their own country. This kind of dynamic holds powerful lessons for the Caribbean — a region whose economies are deeply tied to tourism, yet which faces structural vulnerabilities tied to international travel. Let’s dive into what Ghana’s experience offers the Caribbean, and why a shift toward domestic resilience and local leadership could help island nations reinvent their tourism job-growth strategies.

In Ghana’s case, the story isn’t just about visitor numbers, but who is spending. According to recent reporting, 61 % of the country’s tourism expenditures in 2024 came from Ghanaians traveling within Ghana. That domestic-led spending proved to be a stabiliser. Unlike countries that lean heavily on international arrivals which can fluctuate dramatically, Ghana anchored much of its tourism economy on its own citizens. The result? The direct 370,000 jobs reflect 2.5 % of the workforce, and when indirect chain effects (like transport, artisan-goods, hospitality) are added, employment touches over 800,000.

Why does this matter for island economies? Because external shocks — hurricanes, pandemics, economic downturns in source markets — hit tourism hard. A model that relies less on only international visitors and more on robust local demand adds resilience. Ghana’s tourism multiplier is a reported 1.2 (meaning each dollar spent adds 20 cents in ripple effects). Not explosive, but steady. And that steadiness allows job growth that isn’t just tied to the next cruise-ship season or foreign-visitor boom.

For the Caribbean, with its heavy exposure to global visitor markets, that kind of local demand-focus offers a second chapter in the tourism story.

The Caribbean is no stranger to tourism success. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and other regional bodies, the sector in the Caribbean contributed an estimated US$91 billion to the regional economy by end of 2024 and supports around 3 million jobs, or roughly 15.7 % of total employment. And the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) reports 34.2 million international arrivals in 2024 in the region, a 6.1 % increase over 2023 and 6.9 % above pre-pandemic levels. So far, so good.

But digging deeper reveals structural issues: many Caribbean destinations depend heavily on foreign-visitor spending, often in all-inclusive resorts where local businesses may capture only a fraction of the total spending. According to regional job-quality research, women and youth make up large shares of the tourism workforce, yet many positions are low-paid, seasonal, or dependent on external demand. In short: growth has been strong, but vulnerabilities remain.

That’s why Ghana’s example may hold insight: how to shift more of tourism’s value into local hands and anchor job creation on broader demand, rather than relying solely on international arrivals.

Just as Ghanaians themselves accounted for the majority of tourism spending, Caribbean nations should look to activate local demand — residents exploring their islands, regional intra-Caribbean travel, and culturally rich domestic tourism. With the infrastructure in place, local travellers can sustain hotels, transport, F&B, arts and crafts.

In Ghana, it wasn’t just hotels hiring. The ripple effect included transport providers, artisans, local farmers supplying food, and tour guides. The 813,000 figure of indirect and direct jobs underscores the value-chain reach. For the Caribbean this means promoting small-business link-ups, encouraging artisan supply to resorts, and training locals in niche roles such as eco-tourism, cultural heritage guiding and digital marketing.

Countries that depend purely on arrivals from overseas are at the mercy of currency shifts, travel bans, and global shocks. Ghana’s model shows that a high proportion of resident tourist spending can soften volatility. Caribbean destinations could aim for a similar mix: while continuing to grow international travellers, also deepen local market development.

In Ghana, local tourists increasingly sought heritage sites (such as Cape Coast castle), coastal destinations, nightlife in Accra. Caribbean islands are already rich in heritage and nature, but could amplify this by packaging experiences for locals and regional travellers, creating more meaningful stays, encouraging repeat visits and extending seasonality.

Ghana’s analysts emphasise the need for better infrastructure and digital marketing to accelerate the tourism growth phase. The Caribbean too can benefit from modernising transport (inter-island links), improving regional flight connectivity, upgrading destination-marketing platforms, and using tech tools to target local, regional and diaspora travellers.

Imagine you’re sitting with a tourism minister on one of those beautiful Caribbean beaches. You might ask: “What happens when the cruise ship numbers drop? Can hotels still fill rooms? Can buses still run? Are local restaurants still busy?” Ghana’s answer is: rely less on just the big international wave and more on your home market.

Ask also: “Do our young people see tourism as a stable career here, or as seasonal knock-on work?” Ghana’s direct and indirect job numbers show that when a tourism ecosystem is tilted toward local demand, employment opportunities widen.

And a final one: “Is our tourism growth circulating money locally or leaking out?” Heritage sites, local craftsmen, home-grown tour operators — these are where local value sits. Ghana’s model of keeping spending within the economy (rather than paying for foreign-owned resorts only) is instructive.

In 2025 and beyond, the tourism industry faces fresh headwinds: climate change, rising travel costs, shifting guest preferences, tighter budgets, and more competition. Caribbean economies, many of which depend heavily on tourism, cannot afford to be caught flat-footed by the next slowdown. By leaning into local-led tourism job growth, drawing from the Ghana example, the region can build a more resilient, inclusive tourism workforce and economy.

When locals travel, spend, stay, and engage within their own destination, the benefits radiate to many shoulders — not just resorts and international operators. It creates jobs for drivers, artisans, farmers, tour-guides, tech specialists, marketers. It builds careers.

And for trade-publication readers in the Caribbean tourism sector, this means a shift in thinking: from purely chasing arrivals to cultivating local markets, from treating tourism as export-only to seeing it as both export and domestic engine. The job-creation potential is tremendous.

So when you next look at your island’s tourism statistics, don’t just ask “how many visitors?” but “who’s spending, where, and how local is the value chain?” The experience of Ghana—370,000 direct jobs, a domestic-spend share north of 60 %—offers a rich case study for the Caribbean. If local tourists, local businesses and local culture are at the centre, job growth becomes more than a seasonal buzz. It becomes a sustainable pillar of your economy.

For Caribbean leaders and operators, the key takeaway is clear: build tourism with your people, not just for your visitors. Anchor spending at home, deepen value-chains, empower local enterprises—and the jobs will follow.

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