Tourists' perceptions of heritage tourism development in Danish-Osu, Ghana

Aaron K.B. Yankholmes*, Oheneba A. Akyeampong

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper examines the tourist perceptions at Danish, Osu-Ghana within the dark tourism or slavery heritage contexts. Using Cohen's (1979) typology of tourist experience, we differentiate between tourist knowledge of a heritage site relative to socio-demographic indices. The results indicate that tourists' perception of Danish-Osu reflect their knowledge of the site in relation to its cultural heritage attributes. In addition, it was found that tourists have dual experiences of the site: those that relate to recreational pursuits of heritage sites and those that ascribe meanings based on their background. The contemporary nature and use of Transatlantic Slave Trade relics for tourism development makes the case of the Danish-Osu more delicate considering the ethical implications of interpreting the community's past to tourists as the borderlines are unclear.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)603-616
Number of pages14
JournalInternational Journal of Tourism Research
Volume12
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2010
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Danish-Osu
  • Dark tourism
  • Heritage tourism
  • Slavery heritage
  • Tourists
  • Transatlantic slave trade

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