TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PLANNING IN GHANA

Tourism, it is evident, is a potent source of foreign exchange earning to developing and developed nations alike. It helps relieve unemployment problems, encourages private enterpreneurail activities and creates market for the handicraft industry.

Notwithstanding the above positive economic benefits, improper planning and managment of the industry could result in the destruction of our environment and subsequently 'destroy' this lucrative and economicallyviable industry. According to a World Tourism Organisation publication, most successful tourist destinations today depend upon clean physical surroundings and protected environments and that, des-tinations which do not offer these attributes are suffering a decline in quality and tourist use. The result is that, the local population suffers from impaired environmental quality, loss of cultural identity and decrease in economix benefits.

Toursim development in Ghana is still in its infancy and our planners have the opportunity to plan the industry in a way to prevent environmental and ecological problems associated with it, and to avoid falling into the trap experienced by meny tourism-based economies in developing countries.

To attain the above objectives, our tourism development plans must aim at over coming the industry's environmental and socio-based economies in developing countries.

Our tourism planners and developers should therefore gear their policies towards ensuring responsible and sustainable tourism. Ghana must join the group of nations that are making relentless efforts to ensure a type of tourism that is responsive to the environment and culture of the host community, and is capable of creating long-term profitability. Sustainable tourism has been suggested by several planners as the solution to the ecological and socio-culture destruction that characterise inadequate design and management of the industry. Although our tourism industry is still too young to be confronted with the problem of numbers, we should not overlook this issue which could become unmanageable if not tackled from the measures to control thier numbers in particular destination areas should be put at the fore-front of our tourism development plan.

The success and durability of the tourism industry depends largely on proper planning and management techniques, hence, the destrategies could give the 'green light' for legitimatising responsible, sustainable environmentally friendly and economically profitable tourism in Ghana.