HOME-BASED TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS OF STUDENTS IN SELECTED PUBLIC SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN TAMALE METROPOLIS, GHANA

Abstract

The culture of travel for purposes of tourism has not been with Ghanaians for long and the reason for this is not far fetched:-poverty. Despite this scenario, some of the elite are gradually embracing the phenomenon for various reasons. In recent times, it is not uncommon to see bus load of students heading for excursions/tours in other parts of the country. This study is therefore aimed at; finding out student travel motivations and identifying places of interest visited in the country. In this regard, six public Senior High Schools (SHS) within four educational circuits were selected in Tamale Metropolis for the study. In all, 246 respondents (students) were obtained from the final year cohorts in the selected public SHS employing the simple random technique. Information was sourced using questionnaire administration and in-depth interviews. The study revealed the factors that accounted for students‘ choice of places with touristic scenes in the country which included; nature admiration (site seeing) prestige, academic pursuits and socialization. Whilst arguing for tourism issues to form part of the agenda and discussions at PTA meetings, it is also prudent for these attraction sites to be properly maintained to continuously serve student travel or excursion needs and that of the broader domestic or foreign vacationer.