Emotional Reactions of Inbound Tourists Towards Souvenirs in Cape Coast, Ghana

Abstract

Souvenirs are tangible reminders of the experiences of tourists and hence an important component of the tourist product despite their centrality to tourists’ experiences. Generally, there have been empirical studies on tourists’ attitudes toward souvenirs. A few studies on souvenirs have concentrated on the cognitive aspect while neglecting the affective and conative components of attitudes toward souvenirs. The research used a cross-sectional survey and collected data from 387 international tourists using a questionnaire. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The emotional reactions of tourists were measured using mean scores and standard deviations. Findings from the study revealed that respondents had positive emotions towards the souvenirs they purchased. It was recommended that Organizations like the Centre for National Culture and Aid to Artisans Ghana should periodically organize workshops and on-the-job training for local artisans to enhance their skills to help revive and inculcate extinct designs in the production of souvenirs.