When travellers choose a destination, they increasingly follow their taste buds as much as its beaches, wildlife or historic landmarks. From Thailand’s street food to Italy’s regional cuisine and Japan’s sushi culture, food has become one of tourism’s fastest-growing attractions.
Ghana is also exploring whether its own rich culinary diversity can become a stronger economic asset.
That opportunity is receiving fresh attention through a nationwide initiative by Nestlé Ghana to showcase traditional dishes from all 16 regions in Ghana while simultaneously highlighting the cultural and tourism attractions associated with each destination.
Although the campaign promotes the company’s Maggi DꜪdꜪꜪdꜪ seasoning product, it also reflects a broader idea with significant economic implications: that local cuisine can become an important driver of domestic tourism, international visitor spending and regional economic development.
Beyond Restaurants, Food Becomes a Tourism Product
Across the world, food tourism has evolved into a major segment of the travel industry. Visitors increasingly travel specifically to experience local cuisines, cooking traditions, food festivals and indigenous ingredients.
For Ghana, whose tourism strategy has traditionally centred on heritage sites, beaches, castles and festivals, regional cuisine offers another layer of cultural identity that remains relatively underdeveloped as a tourism product.
Nestlé Ghana plans to travel across all 16 regions, sampling indigenous dishes while also showcasing the history, culture and tourist attractions unique to each area.
“We are going on that journey through all the 16 regions of Ghana, trying all their ethnic foods,” said Mark Okyere-Mensah, Category Manager for Culinary Ghana at Nestlé Ghana.
“We will also see some tourist sites because for every region, there’s a heritage. The heritage and identity of that region will also be highlighted. So it’s not only about Maggi as a brand. It’s also about some of the qualities those regions also bring to bear.”
The concept mirrors successful tourism strategies elsewhere, where cuisine serves as an entry point into local culture rather than simply another meal.
Food Creates Economic Opportunities
Promoting regional cuisine has implications far beyond hospitality.
Every traditional dish represents demand for farmers, fishermen, livestock producers, spice growers, transport operators, food processors, restaurants and informal food vendors.
Greater interest in authentic Ghanaian cuisine could stimulate agricultural production while encouraging investment in restaurants, culinary schools, food festivals and packaged indigenous foods for export.
Food tourism also encourages visitors to travel beyond major cities, spreading tourism income into rural communities where many traditional dishes originate.
Preserving Culture Through Cuisine
Food remains one of the strongest expressions of cultural identity.
Each region possesses distinctive recipes, ingredients and preparation methods passed down through generations.
Okyere-Mensah believes celebrating these dishes also helps preserve Ghana’s cultural diversity.
“Taste of Ghana is about tasting the food from every region across Ghana,” he said.
For Nestlé Ghana, the campaign positions Maggi DꜪdꜪꜪdꜪ within these traditional recipes rather than replacing them.
He described the seasoning as a versatile product intended to enhance local dishes and said the company wants consumers to associate it with memorable family moments around food.
“Our main aim as a brand is really to ensure that families, friends, groups and colleagues are able to have the best of fun around food moments.”
Local Ingredients Take Centre Stage
According to Category Brand Manager Magherita Amon, Maggi DꜪdꜪꜪdꜪ was developed using ingredients already familiar to Ghanaian kitchens.
“DꜪdꜪꜪdꜪ has three main ingredients. We have shrimp, fish and garlic. These are local ingredients that we see in our kitchens and cook with every day.”
She said combining these ingredients into one seasoning tablet allows consumers to enjoy familiar flavours while simplifying meal preparation.
Food Diplomacy
The broader opportunity extends beyond domestic tourism.
Countries increasingly use cuisine as part of their international branding and cultural diplomacy.
For Ghana, promoting dishes such as tuo zaafi, fufu, waakye, banku, etor, ampesi, akple, konkonte and regional seafood specialities could complement existing efforts to position the country as a leading cultural tourism destination.
If supported by restaurants, chefs, festivals, hospitality operators and tourism authorities, Ghana’s culinary heritage could become another export in its own right, one that attracts visitors before they even board a plane.
In that sense, every regional recipe represents more than a meal. It is a story about identity, agriculture, enterprise and place, one capable of generating value across the tourism economy while strengthening appreciation for Ghana’s diverse cultural heritage.
