Lake Bosumtwi is a natural inland freshwater lake that originated due to a meteoritic impact. It is located
about 30 km from Kumasi - the second largest city of Ghana. The lake is an important source of livelihood
for the 24 communities living around it since they rely on it for fish catch as a source of income and
protein. Bosumtwi also represents a sacred site for the residents of the Ashanti region. Due to high
population growth rates and various unplanned development activities, fish stocks have come under
intense pressure and have been found to be decreasing at an alarming rate. Furthermore, intensification of
agricultural activities in the Lake Basin and a sudden rise in the chain of hotels and other tourism facilities
has resulted in an increase in the pollution of the lake. Lake Bosumtwi, being a hydrological closed basin,
is supposed to be very sensitive to these effects. Recently, tourism has evolved as an alternative source of
livelihood for the people as it provides them with new employment opportunities, much needed foreign
exchange, new infrastructure development and government revenue. Furthermore, it is promoted by
government agencies with the notion of reducing pressure on the lake and its natural environment.
However, unorganized and unplanned tourism business which is characterised by overcrowding, misuse of
natural resources, insensitive tourist behaviour, mismanagement of waste disposal and uncontrolled
infrastructure development, can have negative impacts not only on the natural environment but also on the
social and cultural values of the local communities. It can also lead to the disruption of local economies as
the benefits leak out of the host communities.
The concept of ‘Ecotourism’ could have the potential to minimise the threats posed by conventional
mass tourism and could provide several socio-economic benefits to the local communities. This study
analyses the potential of ecotourism development in the Lake Bosumtwi Basin by studying the livelihoods
of the local communities, the state of the lake and its natural environment and the current status of tourism
development. The research applied three frameworks to meet its objectives – (1) the Sustainable
Livelihoods Approach to gather information related to the livelihoods of the local communities i.e.
livelihood assets, livelihood strategies, policy, laws, institutional framework, power structures, local
capacities and capabilities, limitations, perceptions of and expectations from tourism development etc.; (2)
the DPSIR framework to assess the current state of the lake, driving forces behind its degradation and
actions needed to mitigate the degradation; and (3) Destination Analysis to assess the current state of
existing physical tourism facilities and to undertake a visitor characteristic analysis in order to create a
tourist profile based on origin, demographics, and purpose of visit, likes and dislikes, length of stay,
means of travel, willingness-to-pay etc. Based on the information and data collected, the research
produced an Implementation Plan for Lake Bosumtwi that seeks to address the most pressing issues
involving the livelihoods of the local communities and simultaneously makes recommendations for the
development of a low-impact sustainable tourism. The aim was to assess if tourism, under current
circumstances, is a viable alternative for the local communities and natural environment. Furthermore, this
research was an effort to provide local government bodies and NGOs with a realistic, economically
feasible, socially fair and environmentally sound management plan so that the negative impacts related to
tourism development can be minimised.