Tourists’ motivations for visiting Kakum National Park, Ghana

Abstract

Since travel motivations of tourists are becoming varied and complex, it has become necessary for tourist destinations to conduct regular investigations into this aspect of the industry to help meet the needs and desires of travellers. This study explores the travel motivations of tourists visiting Kakum National Park in Ghana. Data were collected from 342 tourists who completed their tour of the park between July and August 2015. The study reveals four main motivations of tourists who visited the park, namely adventure, education, escape and social interaction. Three distinct motivational segments were identified among the patrons, with those seeking for adventure and knowledge being the majority. It was concluded from the findings that tourists’ decisions to visit Kakum National Park were influenced by varied combinations of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors.