Nations worldwide have begun reopening their tourism sectors for international visitors. Governments are creating “Green Lists”, which accounts for verified countries that have low infection ratings for COVID-19. It’s made political warfare between the international tourism industry & an additional nation is entering the fight. Ghana announced that foreigners are permitted to enter their country for “Non-Essential Travel” as of September 1st. Arriving in Ghana is enabled exclusively through flight, with their Sea & Land Borders shut down until further notice.
Kotoka International Airport in Ghana has resumed operations from September 1st. New policies have been implemented to account for the COVID-19 pandemic & required communication between international airlines from Europe to North America. Kotoka International Airport Representatives clarified that discussions were held for a week & resulted in a cooperative agreement, which states that Ghana will be “Green Listed” if COVID-19 cases remain low.
New Terms & Conditions have been implemented for travellers that arrive in Ghana. Without abiding by these policies, entry won’t be granted. All nations that were previously permitted into Ghana have been greenlit. However, PCR COVID-19 Tests are required for their permitted arrival. A test must be conducted back home within 72-Hours of departing for Ghana, with a negative infection confirmed. Arriving in Ghana will require another PCR Test by Kotoka International Airport medical staff, with results being given in 30-Minutes. However, this test isn’t being provided for free by the Ghana Government & will require visitors to payout $150.00.
The Logistical Challenges
It should be mentioned that nations outside of Africa & the Caribbean are required to have “Non-Essential Travel Visas” to enter Ghana. Obtaining this visa could take weeks to months, creating logistical challenges around travelling to this nation. Tourism agents don’t anticipate they’ll receive a large percentage of bookings to Ghana-located resorts & hotels until the COVID-19 pandemic has concluded with an internationally available vaccine.
Another condition factored into arriving at Ghana is the possibility of a Negative PCR COVID-19 test. Those with negative readings will be forced into a 14-Day Quarantine & then returned home, where depending on which nation that traveller is from, could include an additional 14-Day Quarantine upon their arrival back home.