Hostels in Ghana recorded room occupancy rates above 90% between November 2024 and February 2025, while hotels averaged about 40%, according to the Ghana Statistical Service’s first Accommodation Unit Survey.
Standard hostels recorded the highest utilisation, with between 96% and 99% of rooms occupied during the four months. Across all hostels, occupancy ranged from 91% to 95%.
Hotels recorded a markedly lower level of occupancy despite accounting for about 70% of the country’s available room capacity.
The difference was particularly pronounced among one-star hotels, where room occupancy fell to 28% in February 2025. Bed occupancy was even lower at 24%.
The survey also found a sharp difference among establishments based on room capacity. Businesses with 100 rooms or more recorded occupancy rates of between 83% and 86%, compared with just 10.2% for establishments with 90 to 99 rooms in February.
That left some accommodation businesses operating close to full capacity while others had most of their rooms unoccupied during the same period.
The pattern varied further by location. Savannah recorded the highest regional room occupancy rate at 63.7% in January, while Eastern, Bono East and Volta remained below 28% throughout the four months.
Greater Accra, which had the largest accommodation capacity, also recorded the highest revenue per available room and average daily room rate during the period.
The figures show a market with significant differences in occupancy depending on the type, size and location of an accommodation business, rather than a uniform pattern across the country.
The GSS said the results point to the importance of improving accommodation utilisation and matching supply more closely with tourism demand.
The findings cover November 2024 to February 2025 and are part of a 12-month survey running through October 2025.
