Genealogy tourism

Last updated

Genealogy tourism, sometimes called roots tourism, is a segment of the tourism market consisting of tourists who have ancestral connections to their holiday destination. These genealogy tourists travel to the land of their ancestors to reconnect with their past and "walk in the footsteps of their forefathers". [1]

Contents

Genealogy tourism is a worldwide industry, although it is more prominent in countries that have experienced mass emigration at some time in history and thus have a large worldwide diaspora community.

Europe

Genealogy tourism has been prominent in Ireland; recorded genealogy tourism peaked in the year 2000 as 116,000 genealogical visitors traveled to the island. [2] The Irish Tourist Board ceased recording genealogy visitors numbers in 2004, and its present levels are now unknown. Scotland staged a homecoming festival in 2009 to appeal to genealogy tourists.

Genealogy tourism is very common to countries of Central Europe where World War II caused mass migrations of population. In particular, Jewish genealogy tourism is very popular and on the rise. [3] Scottish diaspora and genealogical tourism has always been a large part of Scottish tourism.[ citation needed ]

Africa

Many African Americans and other diaspora Africans in the Americas were motivated to travel to their traditional African homelands following the release of Alex Haley's best-selling book Roots: The Saga of an American Family in 1976. [4] [5] [6] Areas frequently visited include Cape Coast and Elmina in Ghana, Goree Island in Senegal, Juffureh in Gambia and Bahia in Brazil. African governments recognized this opportunity for development in tourism. Successive governments in Ghana, for example, have made efforts through the Ministry of Tourism to attract Diaspora Africans to Ghana, including the African African-American summit in 1999, the biannual Pan-African Historical Theatre Festival, Emancipation Day celebrations and Juneteenth. [6]

Genealogy

Genealogy tourists often participate in tracing their ancestral lineages; digital access to historical records, as well as DNA studies in recent years, have allowed an increasing number of people to identify the homelands of their ancestors. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

Elmina Castle Fort and former trading post in Elmina, Ghana

Elmina Castle was erected by the Portuguese in 1482 as Castelo de São Jorge da Mina, also known as Castelo da Mina or simply Mina, in present-day Elmina, Ghana. It was the first trading post built on the Gulf of Guinea, and the oldest European building in existence south of the Sahara. First established as a trade settlement, the castle later became one of the most important stops on the route of the Atlantic slave trade. The Dutch seized the fort from the Portuguese in 1637, after an unsuccessful attempt in 1596, and took over all of the Portuguese Gold Coast in 1642. The slave trade continued under the Dutch until 1814. In 1872, the Dutch Gold Coast, including the fort, became a possession of Great Britain.

Elmina Town in Central Region, Ghana

Elmina, also known as Edina by the local Fante, is a town and the capital of the Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem District on the south coast of Ghana in the Central Region, situated on a bay on the Atlantic Ocean, 12 kilometres west of Cape Coast. Elmina was the first European settlement in West Africa and it has a population of 33,576 people.

Kakum National Park National park in Ghana

Kakum National Park, located in the coastal environs of the Central Region of Ghana, covers an area of 375 square kilometres (145 sq mi). Established in 1931 as a reserve, it was gazetted as a national park only in 1992 after an initial survey of avifauna was conducted. The area is covered with tropical forest. The uniqueness of this park lies in the fact that it was established at the initiative of the local people and not by the State Department of wildlife who are responsible for wildlife preservation in Ghana. It is one of only 3 locations in Africa with a canopy walkway, which is 350 metres (1,150 ft) long and connects seven tree tops which provides access to the forest.

<i>African American Lives</i>

African American Lives is a PBS television miniseries hosted by historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., focusing on African American genealogical research. The family histories of prominent people of African American descent are explored using traditional genealogic techniques as well as genetic analysis.

Tourism in Wales Economic sector in Wales

Wales is an emerging tourist destination, with 9.39m visitors to Conwy alone in 2018 and 8,078,900 visitors to National Trust and Wales Tourist Board destinations in 2002. As of 2017 the tourism industry in Wales has been estimated to have an annual turnover of £4.8 billion.

<i>The Journey of Man</i>

The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey is a 2002 book by Spencer Wells, an American geneticist and anthropologist, in which he uses techniques and theories of genetics and evolutionary biology to trace the geographical dispersal of early human migrations out of Africa. The book was made into a TV documentary in 2003.

Fáilte Ireland Tourism agency of the Republic of Ireland

Fáilte Ireland is the operating name of the National Tourism Development Authority of the Republic of Ireland. This authority was established under the National Tourism Development Authority Act of 2003 and replaces and builds upon the functions of Bord Fáilte, its predecessor organisation.

Tourism in South Africa Overview of tourism in South Africa

South Africa is a tourist destination and the industry accounts for a substantial amount of the country's revenue. The official marketing agency for the country South African Tourism is responsible for marketing South Africa to the world. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the tourism industry directly contributed ZAR 102 billion to South African GDP in 2012, and supports 10.3% of jobs in the country. The official national marketing agency of the South African government, with the goal of promoting tourism in South Africa both locally and globally is known as South African Tourism.

The history of African-American settlement in Africa extends to the beginnings of ex-slave repatriation to Africa from European colonies in the Americas.

Birthright Armenia Organization

Birthright Armenia, also known as Depi Hayk, is a volunteer internship enhancement program that also offers travel fellowships to eligible participants to assist in the development of Armenia.

Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Ghana government ministry

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts of Ghana is the government ministry responsible for the development and promotion of tourism-related activities in the country.

Ancestral home

An ancestral home is the place of origin of one's extended family, particularly the home owned and preserved by the same family for several generations. The term can refer to an individual house or estate, or to a broader geographic area such as a town, a region, or an entire country. An ancestral home may be a physical place, part of a series of places that one associates with state, nation or region. In the latter cases, the phrase ancestral homeland might be used. In particular, the concept of a diaspora requires the concept of an ancestral home from which the diaspora emanates. However, it is also possible that "[t]he family living in an ancestral home is surrounded by visible, physical symbols of family continuity and solidarity".

Asafo

Asafo are traditional warrior groups in Akan culture, based on lineal descent. The word derives from sa, meaning war, and fo, meaning people. The traditional role of the Asafo companies was defence of the state. As the result of contact with European colonial powers on the Gold Coast, the Fante, who inhabit the coastal region, developed an especially complex version of the concept in terms of its social and political organization based on martial principles, and with elaborate traditions of visual art, including flag banners with figurative scenes, and designs alluding to historical events or proverbs.

The Gathering Ireland 2013, referred to as The Gathering was a tourism-led initiative in Ireland. It aimed to mobilise the Irish diaspora to return to Ireland during 2013 to be part of specially organised local gatherings and events during the year. It was a government supported initiative driven primarily by Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, and Tourism Ireland. The concept relied on grassroots initiatives of private individuals, and non-governmental organisations. The Gathering was not a single event but provided an umbrella framework for varied activities throughout 2013, from family reunions and clan gatherings to sports fixtures. While the initiative was primarily directed at the Irish diaspora, and those with other links to the country, the organisers hoped the experience for the general tourist would also be enhanced.

Tourism in Ghana is regulated by the Ministry of Tourism of Ghana. This ministry is responsible for the development and promotion of tourism related activities in Ghana.

The history of African Americans in Ghana goes back to individuals such as American civil rights activist and writer W. E. B. Du Bois, who settled in Ghana in the last years of his life and is buried in the capital, Accra. Since then, other African Americans who are descended from slaves imported from areas within the present-day jurisdiction of Ghana and neighboring states have applied for permanent resident status in Ghana. As of 2015, the number of African-American residents has been estimated at around 3,000 people, a large portion of whom live in Accra.

Akwaaba African Travel Market

Akwaaba African Travel Market (AFTM) is an international travel, tourism and hospitality event organized annually in Lagos, Nigeria aimed at businesses, investors, governments decision - makers and buyers in the industry, providing business opportunities, industry news and showcasing products in Africa and around the world. It serves as a platform to trade and network. Akwaaba African Travel Market is the first travel market in West Africa.

The Year of Return, Ghana 2019 is an initiative of the government of Ghana – along with the U.S.-based Adinkra Group – that is intended to encourage African diasporans to come to Africa to settle and invest in the continent. It was formally launched by President Nana Akufo-Addo in September 2018 in Washington, D.C. as a program for Africans in the diaspora to unite with Africans. The year 2019 is symbolic as it commemorates 400 years since the first enslaved Africans touched down in Hampton, in the English colony of Virginia in America. The program also recognizes the diaspora's achievements and sacrifices in the time since that even. Started from when President Barack Obama made a visit to the Cape Coast in 2009, many African-American famous, respected and admired African diaspora guests have come to Ghana to discover its culture through visits. The Ghana Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture have lined up a slate of activities in "celebration of the resilience of the African spirit." Many African Americans shared their stories regarding their experiences in Ghana during the Year of Return.

African American genealogy

African American genealogy is a field of genealogy pertaining specifically to the African American population of the United States. African American genealogists who document the families, family histories, and lineages of African Americans are faced with unique challenges owing to the slave practices of the Antebellum South and North. These challenges rise from a range of events, including name changes following the American Civil War, the act of separating families for sale as slaves, lack of issued birth or death records for slaves, etc.

The Assin Manso Ancestral Slave River [also called Nnonkonsuo or Donkor Nsuo (singular)] was one of the slave markets for gathering indigenes during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It is located in the Central Region of Ghana, forty (40) kilometers along the Cape Coast-Kumasi highway.

References

  1. Feng, K., and Page, S. (2000). "An exploratory study of tourism, migration–immigration nexus: Travel experience of Chinese residence in New Zealand". Current Issues of Tourism, 3(3), 246–281.
  2. Bord Fáilte (2001), Genealogy Facts 2000. Dublin: Bord Fáilte, Market research Planning
  3. "Genealogy in Poland - Polin Travel". www.jewish-guide.pl.
  4. Clarke, K. M. "Mapping Transnationality: Roots Tourism and the Institutionalization of Ethnic Heritage". In K. M. Clarke & D.A. Thomas (Eds.), Globalization and Race: Transformations in the Cultural Production of Blackness, Duke University Press, Durham, 2006. pp. 133-153.
  5. de Santana Pinho, P. "African-American roots tourism in Brazil", Latin American Perspectives, 2008, Vol.35 No. 3, pp 70-86.
  6. 1 2 Mensah, I (2015): The roots tourism experience of diaspora Africans: A focus on the Cape Coast and Elmina Castles, Journal of Heritage Tourism, DOI:10.1080/1743873X.2014.990974
  7. Higginbotham, G. (2012). Seeking roots and tracing lineages: constructing a framework of reference for roots and genealogical tourism. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 7(3), 189-203.