Only 4 in 10 available room nights are occupied, raising concerns about how Ghana can attract more visitors and support struggling accommodation businesses.

Ghana’s hotels, hostels and guesthouses are leaving a large share of their rooms unoccupied, with new figures from the Ghana Statistical Service showing an average occupancy rate of about 40% per month.

The figures raise a critical question for the country’s tourism industry: what is the point of having rooms available if guests are not coming in to fill them?

Presenting the findings, Government Statistician Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu said the Accommodation Unit Survey covered March to June 2025. It tracked 1,085 accommodation establishments selected from a total of 9,602 across all 16 regions to assess room occupancy, guest numbers and revenue.

The survey found that the number of rooms occupied fell from 2.14 million in March to 1.99 million in June 2025, a decline of about 7%. Overall occupancy remained around 40%.

The figures also reveal a sharp difference across accommodation types. Hostels recorded occupancy rates of between 93% and 96%, while hotels, which account for about 70% of available rooms, recorded substantially lower occupancy.

Regional differences were equally striking. The Central Region recorded the highest occupancy rate at 56.8% in June 2025, while the Eastern, Bono East and North East regions each recorded rates below 25%.

These figures should prompt a closer look at what is holding back demand, especially in areas where many rooms remain empty. Low occupancy can mean lost income for businesses and fewer opportunities for workers whose livelihoods depend on tourism and hospitality.

For Ghana, the challenge may not simply be about building more hotels or adding more rooms. It is also about attracting guests to facilities that already exist.

Government and tourism businesses have been urged to use the statistics to guide investment and tourism planning.

The findings make a clear point: Ghana’s tourism success should not be measured only by the number of rooms it builds, but also by how many visitors it attracts and how well existing facilities are used.

The focus must now turn to understanding why guests are not filling available rooms and what practical steps can help accommodation businesses across the country attract more customers.