Tourism destinations don’t compete on scenery alone; they compete on storytelling power. The places that win are those that control the narrative, define the mood, and shape how the world feels about being there. Arguably, Africa’s most compelling tourism story export is coming from the streets, stages, beaches, and digital timelines. That story is Detty December, an organic homecoming for African diasporans.
But the phrase Detty December did not emerge from a tourism master plan or a government branding strategy. It was coined casually within Ghana’s creative space. According to the originator, Bernard Sokpe (Meister), Co-Founder of Jambo Spaces, the term was born out of everyday marketing work and lived cultural expression.
At the time, Sokpe was working closely with Nigerian artist Mr. Eazi, and during Africa tours, they would routinely hype Mr. Eazi with the phrase “go and dirty [detty] yourself,” a call to abandon restraint and fully immerse in the moment. “It’s a Ghanaian thing. It’s about letting loose, enjoying yourself, sweating, dancing, living,” said Meister in a radio interaction on YFM Accra.
The phrase first appeared publicly around 2016-2017 during a concert series initially branded as Life Is Eazi in Accra and Lagos. When it became clear that the Lagos edition would be particularly explosive, Meister suggested a tweak: Life Is Eazi Lagos – #DettyDecember edition.
A week later, when the concert moved to Accra, the branding evolved again. Instead of Life Is Easy Accra, the event was renamed Detty Rave, embedding the phrase into Ghana’s December nightlife calendar. From there, the term escaped its original context. Promoters adopted it. Partygoers hashtagged it. Diasporans began organising their end-of-year pilgrimages around it.
“It’s not something I coined thinking of how it was going to evolve into what it is now,” he says. “People ran with it. And the next December, it became bigger and bigger.”
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Detty December has evolved into a cultural economy, a tourism asset, a soft-power instrument, and one of Africa’s most recognisable lifestyle narratives. Each year, hundreds of thousands of visitors converge on Ghana, drawn by a promise of energy, belonging, and cultural immersion.
As Detty December’s visibility grows globally, Ghana now faces a paradox. The season is thriving in scale, participation, and digital reach, but Ghana seems not fully in control of the global conversation that surrounds it. At least on the digital footprint of conversations. The cultural moment remains powerful, but the narrative ownership, the ability to clearly and consistently anchor Detty December to Ghana in the global imagination, is weakening. Not in terms of events and activities, but in the storytelling aspect of it.
Ghana’s tourism and travel economy
To understand both the opportunity and the risk facing Detty December, it is essential to first situate it within the broader tourism context of international arrivals and tourists into Ghana. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghana’s tourism sector has demonstrated remarkable resilience and growth.
From 355,108 visits in 2020, international arrivals rose steadily to 1.28 million in 2024, recording $4.8 billion in receipts. That’s according to the country’s tourism report 2024. This signal sustained recovery following the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also reaffirms tourism as one of Ghana’s most important non-traditional export earners
Also, the Digital 2026: Ghana Report by We Are Social and Meltwater reveals that online spending in the travel and tourism sector surged to almost $430 million in 2025. The report identifies the accommodation sector as the primary engine of this growth, with Hotels ($142 million) and Vacation Rentals ($109 million) collectively accounting for more than half of the total digital expenditure, signaling a high level of consumer trust in online booking platforms..
The travel landscape is not only growing in volume but also evolving in sophistication, as Ghanaian consumers increasingly opt for premium and all-inclusive digital experiences. According to the report, Flights contributed $93.3 million to the total, while Package Holidays saw one of the sharpest annual increases at 13.4%, reaching $63.2 million. This trend toward curated, bundled travel suggests that travelers prioritize convenience and “end-to-end” digital solutions, a shift that is reshaping how travel agencies and tour operators market their services in the digital age.
While traditional sectors dominate, the report highlights an emerging appetite for luxury and specialized transit that is rapidly gaining momentum. Cruises led the pack in terms of percentage growth with an 18.1% year-on-year jump, while the digital ticketing market for Car Rentals ($19.8 million) and Long-Distance Buses ($659,000) continued to expand. With social media now serving as the top channel for brand discovery in Ghana, the report concludes that Ghana’s travel industry has successfully pivoted to a “digital-first” model, capturing nearly $47 million in new annual spending compared to the previous year.
Yet while the numbers are impressive, they mask a deeper strategic vulnerability. Revenue growth has occurred largely on the back of organic popularity rather than deliberate global narrative management.
As competition for cultural tourism intensifies across Africa and beyond, future growth will increasingly depend on how effectively Ghana tells its story. The finding that social media is now the leading channel for brand discovery underlines why narrative ownership matters. Detty December already thrives digitally, but without coordinated storytelling, Ghana risks losing attribution even as spending grows.
The shift to a digital-first travel economy, capturing nearly $47 million in new annual spending, means that whoever controls the digital narrative, hashtags, influencers, media coverage, and booking journeys, will increasingly control the economic upside.
Global digital footprint of Detty December
At least on the digital footprint of conversations, the cultural moment remains powerful. Still, the narrative ownership, the ability to clearly and consistently anchor Detty December to Ghana in the global imagination, is weakening. This distinction lies at the heart of Ghana’s Detty December challenge.
Tourism today is not driven by events alone. It is driven by soft power – perception, storytelling, repetition, and strategic amplification. In a December 2025 article (https://www.eskimo.travel/en/blog/the-most-visited-countries-in-africa?srsltid=AfmBOoo080sai27RdVlVhj8SSHMP7fCSMv-fteFWdDPzn5PHCGKmk96I), Eskimo Travel, a global travel connectivity provider, listed the most visited countries in Africa. They were Morocco, Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mauritius, Seychelles, Algeria, and Zimbabwe.
One of the key reasons certain African destinations consistently rank among the continent’s most visited is their strong global exposure through media, films, and travel marketing, which bolsters awareness, shapes expectation, and reinforces destination identity in the minds of global travellers. Countries like Morocco, Egypt, South Africa, and Kenya benefit not only from extraordinary attractions and infrastructure but from international visibility that continually feeds demand across international feeder markets.
Using data from the social listening and analytical tool Brand24, Detty December’s conversation analysis, covering October 2025 to January 2026, reveals the sheer scale of the phenomenon. During this period, Detty December’s campaign generated over 20,000 online mentions and an estimated global reach of approximately 274 million people, driven overwhelmingly by social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube.
Engagement levels were equally strong, with roughly 19 million interactions, reflecting deep emotional resonance and participatory enthusiasm.
At first glance, these figures appear to indicate success. But reach alone does not equal control. A closer examination of where the conversation originates and who shapes it reveals a troubling imbalance.
Country-level analysis shows that Nigeria accounts for nearly 48% of total global reach, equivalent to approximately 88 million people, making it the single largest driver of the Detty December conversation worldwide. By contrast, Ghana accounts for just over 18%, or about 33 million people, despite being the origin and primary host destination of the season. The United States follows with roughly 15%, while the United Kingdom contributes close to 9%, reflecting strong diasporan engagement.
Hashtag data reinforces the imbalance. Among the most frequently used tags associated with Detty December are #dettydecember, #nigeria, and #lagos, all of which significantly outperform #ghana in usage volume. In effect, while Detty December remains Ghana’s cultural export, Nigeria has become its loudest digital amplifier.
This dominance is not accidental. Nigeria’s creative industries, particularly music, digital media, and influencer marketing, operate at scale and with a global mindset. Nigerian creators speak loudly, consistently, and strategically to international audiences. Ghana, by contrast, has relied too heavily on organic goodwill, episodic attention, and the assumption that hosting the events alone is sufficient to anchor the narrative.
December in Ghana vs. Detty December: Critical branding gap
The contrast becomes even more striking when comparing Detty December with the destination-specific phrase “December in Ghana.” While Detty December achieved a global reach of 274 million, “December in Ghana” generated just 344 mentions and a total reach of approximately 8 million during the same period. Nearly 90% of that reach originated within Ghana itself, indicating that the phrase has failed to travel internationally.
This is a significant branding issue. “December in Ghana” has limited global reach but strong Ghanaian ownership. Detty December, on the other hand, travels globally as an abstract cultural idea, while its geographic origin [Ghana] fades into the background. This disconnect allows other countries and cities to benefit from the vibe without reinforcing Ghana as the definitive destination.
But Ghana hasn’t lost the Detty December story. It has evolved, and Ghana has been at the centre of it. Much smaller countries have owned bigger things. It’s about PR and storytelling.
Caption: December in Ghana – Context of digital footprint conversation (Oct 2025 – Jan 2025) – Brand24
Controlling the narrative
Tourism is fundamentally a storytelling industry. Destinations that succeed globally do not rely solely on events, nightlife, or scenic beauty. They invest in sustained narrative ecosystems via global media such as the BBC, CNN, CBS, TMZ, RollingStone among others, to shape perception over time.
Countries have become very intentional about integrating their festivals, digital campaigns, international media placements, influencer partnerships, and destination branding into cohesive strategies. Ghana has the raw materials: compelling history, vibrant creative industries, political stability, diasporan goodwill, and a proven appetite for cultural travel. What it lacks is a deliberate, well-resourced global storytelling strategy that consistently anchors Detty December to the country’s national brand of Black Star Experience.
The Brand24 data highlights this gap clearly. Despite massive social media visibility, non-social media reach, typically driven by mainstream international media, accounted for just 9.2 million, a small fraction of total exposure. Only two major global media reports focused solely on Ghana – the Chinese-owned state English media, CGTN, and one by the BBC. Other global media mentions in relation to Detty December, Ghana shared with Nigeria. This suggests that Detty December is discussed widely but not deeply embedded in the global media narratives where long-term tourism perception is shaped.
The consequences of this gap go far beyond social media metrics. When the global conversation around Detty December is shaped primarily by non-Ghanaian voices, Ghana’s ability to extract long-term value is weakened. This includes reduced potential for destination loyalty, lower average spend per visitor, weaker repeat visitation outside December, limited international partnerships, and diluted brand equity tied specifically to Ghanaian experiences.
This is particularly concerning given the economic profile of the Detty December audience. Data shows that nearly 50 % of participants hold university degrees, around 12% are classified as high-income earners, and the dominant age group falls between 25 and 44 years, a prime demographic for tourism, investment, and lifestyle spending. Interests skew toward technology, finance, retail, and media, precisely the sectors Ghana seeks to attract. The audience is already there. Ghana has to convert attention into sustained economic and reputational returns.
Owning the story
Detty December is alive, vibrant, and expanding in scale, influence, and economic impact. The data proves its strength. Yet the same data exposes an uncomfortable truth: Ghana is at risk of becoming the stage rather than the storyteller. While the experiences happen in Accra, Cape Coast, and across the country, the loudest digital and cultural amplification increasingly originates elsewhere. Nigeria currently dominates the global conversation, diasporan markets amplify non-Ghanaian narratives, and sustained engagement from mainstream international media remains limited and episodic rather than strategic.
This matters because cultural moments do not automatically translate into long-term national value. In 2024, Ghana earned a record $4.8 billion in international tourism revenue, underscoring the sector’s importance to foreign exchange, employment, and national branding. However, without deliberate global storytelling, a significant share of Detty December’s cultural, reputational, and economic value will remain diffuse, enjoyed in Ghana but attributed elsewhere. Cultural capital, if not actively owned, is easily diluted.
Moments fade. Attention shifts. Competing destinations learn, replicate, and repackage the experience with louder voices and clearer narratives. To fully own Detty December, Ghana must move beyond organic popularity and embrace intentional global amplification, particularly through international media, entertainment, and cultural diplomacy. The most successful tourism destinations in the world do not wait for attention; they manufacture familiarity. Ghana can do this by positioning Detty December as a globally recognised seasonal cultural franchise, deliberately inserted into international media cycles months before December begins. This includes securing features in major outlets such as The New York Times, Financial Times, CNN, BBC, Vogue, GQ, Rolling Stone, and leading travel publications, not as one-off lifestyle pieces, but as recurring annual cultural coverage tied explicitly to Ghana.
Equally powerful is the strategic use of global entertainment figures. Just as Cannes, Ibiza, and Dubai benefit from celebrity presence, Ghana can formalise a Detty December global ambassador programme that invites Hollywood actors, global musicians, fashion icons, and sports stars of African and diasporan heritage to experience December in Ghana. Carefully curated itineraries, red-carpet moments, cultural immersion experiences, and exclusive events can be designed not merely for attendance but for content creation, storytelling, and long-tail media value. Ghana has hosted many notable figures from the African diaspora, including Boris Kodjoe, Bozoma Saint John, and Gabrielle Union. These visits often occurred as part of the “Year of Return” and “Beyond the Return” initiatives, which encourage people of African descent to reconnect with their ancestral homeland. When globally recognisable figures are repeatedly photographed, interviewed, and filmed in Ghana during December, the destination becomes inseparable from the season.
Film and streaming platforms offer another underutilised lever. Ghana can actively court holiday-season films, documentaries, reality shows, and travel series set in Accra and other cultural hubs during December. Whether through Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, or global music and culture documentaries, visual storytelling embeds Detty December into global consciousness far more effectively than social media virality alone. Destinations that appear on screen repeatedly become aspirational by default.
Crucially, these efforts require coordination. Government tourism bodies, private promoters, airlines, hospitality brands, creative industry players, and diaspora networks must operate within a shared narrative framework. The goal is not to control creativity, but to anchor attribution. Every story, feature, celebrity visit, and film must clearly and consistently reinforce one idea: Detty December happens in Ghana.
Cultural moments must be nurtured, defended, and strategically amplified. Ghana has already built the experience. The next phase is ownership, ensuring that when the world thinks of Detty December, it does not think of a vibe, a hashtag, or a region, but unmistakably, and repeatedly, Ghana.
About the Writer
Ekow Quandzie is a Communications Executive with 14 years of experience in Public Relations, Entertainment, Media, and Journalism. He is the Lead Curator of the World Public Relations Day Festival, a series of events uniting PR professionals around a shared agenda, shaping a deeper understanding and utilization of Public Relations. Ekow is currently the Head of Public Relations and Sustainability Lead at Global Media Alliance, a leading PR Agency in Ghana.
