Diaspora tourism and homeland development: exploring the impacts of African American tourists on the livelihoods of local traders in Southern Ghana

ABSTRACT While a bourgeoning literature exists on how African Americans are using tourism to connect with Africa, only a handful of studies have examined the nature of African American tourists’ spending on the continent. This study identifies popular Ghanaian handicrafts that are produced for African American tourists; examines the spending patterns of these tourists; and analyses how handicraft traders use the incomes derived from their craft sales. We found that while African Americans constitute the bulk of craft purchasers in Ghana, their numbers have dwindled lately, so are their expenditures on crafts and other souvenirs.