Rural Tourism Promotion and livelihood enhancement: an evaluation of craftworks of Sirigu Women Organisation in Pottery and Arts (SWOPA) Project in the Kasena-Nankana East District of Ghana

Abstract

The Sirigu Women in Pottery and Arts (SWOPA) project was set up as a rural tourism promotion facility to enhance the economic wellbeing of women in the community. However, patronage in recent times has begun dwindling making the financial fortunes of the facility on women highly uncertain nowadays. This study sought to examine possible causes of the low patronage of the pottery and arts products and suggest a way forward to reactivating the association’s fortunes for a better livelihood. The study considered a mixed methods approach employing both qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection. The number of respondents sampled was 226 from the membership of the women’s association while other relevant stakeholders in the community were also purposively contacted. The results indeed, pointed to low patronage of pottery and related art works as end products now were accordingly not appealing to clients anymore due to factors such as poor finishing, bulky sizes and weight of products to be carried home as souvenirs among others. Low tourist arrivals to the centre in recent years has been attributed to poor publicity and infrastructural challenges of the destination area. It is suggested that training with modern methods in the arts to enhance outcomes of products and likewise introducing new arts forms to add value to their works will do a “hat-trick”. Furthermore, engaging visitors in the practical sessions of the artwork would prolong their stay and encourage re-visit intentions to the centre.