More than 100,000 tourists visited Cape Coast, Elmina Castles in 2012

The Cape Coast Castle recorded  109,916 foreign and local visitors  from January to December  last year,  as against  97,603 in 2011,  representing  an increase of 12, 313 visitors.

The Elmina Castle  also received  about 61,731 visitors from January to July last year as compared to 81,677  from January to December 2011.

Mr Nicholas Ivor,  Regional Director of Cape Coast Castle who made this known to the GNA in an  interview in Cape Coast, said  since  2009 the castle had been recording high numbers of visitors.

According to him 17,076 Ghanaian Adults visited the Cape Coast castle last year,  compared to 14,327 in 2011, while from January to July last year the Elmina Castle received 7,360 Ghanaian visitors as against  5,102 in 2011.

Mr  Ivor  said  12, 620 foreign adults visited the Cape Coast castle last year as against  11,681 in 2011,  with 6,667 visiting the Elmina castle from January to July 2012, as against  5,428 in 2011.

The Regional Director said a total of 40,797 Ghanaian children  also visited  the  Cape Coast castle  last year  as against 33,259 in the previous year,  whiles 29,544 visited the Elmina Castle from January to July as against 25,511 in 2011.

Mr  Ivor said 27,292  Ghanaian students from primary to tertiary  schools  visited the Cape Coast castle last year  compared to 25,049  in 2011, whiles  11,659 visited  the Elmina Castle from January to July 2012 as against 10,123  in 2011.

A total of 79   VIP’s  also  visited the Cape Coast castle last year as against 285 in  the previous year  with 290 visiting  the  Elmina castle  from January to July as against  386 in 2011.

The Regional Director  was however  unable to disclose the total revenue accrued from the visits but expressed the optimism that if the number of  visitors continued to increase the way it did, it would benefit the Ghana Monuments and Museums Board (GMMB) and the nation at large.

Source: GNA