A critical review of the socio-cultural, economic and environmental impacts of ecotourism in Ghana

ABSTRACT

This study aims to critically review the impacts of ecotourism in Ghana by synthesising the socio-cultural, economic, and environmental impacts of ecotourism. It relied on databases including Web of Science, EBSCO host, Scopus, Science Direct, Emerald, Google Scholar, University libraries as well as government institutions and personal contacts to gather 23 relevant published papers and nine policy documents and strategic plans for the review. The study found that whereas there are several studies on the positive socio-cultural, economic, and environmental impacts of ecotourism, the absence of quantitative analysis to monitor changes in biodiversity in terms of species population and distribution and economic returns to make an economic case for private sector investment are critical gaps. Advancing research on ecotourism and SDG interlinkages can provide directions for policy choices on maximising synergies and minimising trade-offs. The findings suggest that sustainable financing through public-private partnerships is necessary for catalysing positive sustainability outcomes of ecotourism projects.

KEYWORDS:

• Ecotourism
• socio-cultural impacts
• economic impacts
• and environmental impacts
• Ghana

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).