Thesis (MSc) - Cyprus International University. Institute of Graduate Studies and Research Tourism and Hotel Management Department

Includes bibliography (sheets 41-49)

ABSTRACT
Tourism has emerged as one of the most important sources of revenue for a country's growth in recent years. It is observed that minimum effort is being put into the study of cultural heritage resources and their potential for fostering sustainable development in Ghana, particularly in communities where these assets are found. In Ghana, what is known about cultural heritage sustainability is still limited. There was inadequate literature concerning the sustainability of cultural heritage resources for tourism development in Ghana. Thus, this study aims to explore the sustainability of cultural heritage resources for tourism development, the challenges to sustain the resources and the importance of conserving these resources. This research utilized qualitative methodology with the use of semi-structured interviews to collect data from tourism sector representatives and a few members in communities where Cultural Heritage Resources are found in Ghana. The snowball sampling strategy was employed in this research and six themes were derived from the analysis using the coding process in descriptive analysis. The results showed that, Ghana has a variety of cultural heritage resources, however the country had challenges sustaining the cultural heritage resources and most of them were financially related. Additionally, similar replies, indicated that Ghana's cultural heritage resources, particularly tangible resources, are not being properly sustained for tourist growth in Ghana. The research recommended a collaboration between various stakeholders involved in tourism and the government, financial support from the government for sustaining cultural heritage resources, as well as various measures to be implemented to aid sustain the cultural heritage resources for tourism development in Ghana.