Motivations for masquerade participation and their implications for domestic tourism development: Evidence from the Ankos Festival, Ghana
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32734/ijcas.v10i2.22986Keywords:
Masquerad, Motivation, Push-Pull Factor, Domestic Tourism Development, Ankos FestivalAbstract
This study, anchored on push-pull motivation theory, examines the motivational factors underlying participation in the annual masquerade festival (Ankos) in Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, and considers their implications for domestic tourism development. Specifically, the study identifies the push and pull factors that influence masquerades’ (individual festival performers’) decision to participate in the Ankos Festival, and discusses how these motivational patterns may inform domestic tourism promotion and marketing, without claiming to have directly measured tourism-development outcomes such as visitor numbers, expenditure, or destination growth. Methodologically, a descriptive research design within a convergent mixed-methods approach, underpinned by a pragmatist research philosophy, was adopted. Three hundred and ten (310) masquerades were conveniently sampled and responded to a structured questionnaire, while five (5) key stakeholders, comprising masquerade group executives and festival organizers, were purposively selected for semi-structured interviews; the quantitative and qualitative strands were collected concurrently and merged at the interpretation stage. The quantitative data were analysed using SPSS version 27, while the qualitative data were analysed thematically using interpretative phenomenological analysis, which enabled the identification of recurring themes and ideas. The qualitative narratives from the five key stakeholders were used to validate and contextually enrich the quantitative patterns, particularly those relating to costume attraction, group status, and festival organisation, providing explanatory depth that the survey data alone could not supply. The study identified four underlying motivational factors that push and pull masquerades to participate in the festival: cultural and social connection, personal enrichment, festival quality and heritage, and identity and experiential value. These motivational patterns are discussed for their implications for policy-making, tourism marketing, and the promotion of domestic tourism.
Downloads
References
Adinolfi, M.C. and Skotoyi, Y. (2023). Domestic tourism in South Africa: Profiling Road trip tourists. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 12(5SE): 1822-1833. https://doi.org/10.46222/ajhtl.19770720.469
Aguirre‐Rodriguez, A., Luna, D., Alvarez, C. M., & Montoya, D. (2023). Ethnic identity‐based motivation: A model emergent from US Hispanic consumers. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 33(2), 303-327. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1340
Akhundova, A. (2024). Role of festivals in stimulating the development of event tourism. Theoretical and Practical Research In Economic Fields, 15(2), 277-287.
Akubor, E. O. (2016). Africans concept of masquerades and their role in societal control and stability: Some notes on the Esan people of southern Nigeria. Asian and African studies, 25(1), 32-50.
Akyeampong, O. A., & Yankholmes, A. (2016). Profiling masquerade festival attendees in Ghana. Event Management, 20(2), 285-296. https://doi.org/10.3727/152599516X14643674421933
Amorim, D., Jiménez-Caballero, J. L., & Almeida, P. (2020). The impact of performing arts festivals on tourism development: analysis of participants' motivation, quality, satisfaction and loyalty. Tourism & Management Studies, 16(4), 45-57.
Asenime, J. A. (2022). Masquerades in Africa: The Ebu Wonder. NIU Journal of Social Sciences, 8(3), 187-193
Black, N. (2016). Festival connections: How consistent and innovative connections enable small-scale rural festivals to contribute to socially sustainable communities. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 7(3), 172-187. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-04-2016-0026
Bonnardel, V., Beniwal, S., Dubey, N., Pande, M., & Bimler, D. (2018). Gender difference in color preference across cultures: An archetypal pattern modulated by a female cultural stereotype. Color Research & Application, 43(2), 209-223. https://doi.org/10.1002/col.22188
Booth, A. S., & Cameron, F. M. (2020). Family event participation: Building flourishing communities. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 11(2), 223-238. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-10-2019-0048
Bossey, A. (2022). Perceptions on adopting Information and Communication Technology enhanced live performances to improve the accessibility and sustainability of music festivals.
Brown, A. E. (2019). Is it just the Music? Towards an Understanding of the Festival-goer and their Experience at UK Music Festivals (Doctoral dissertation, University of Central Lancashire).
Carse, C. (2022). Critical success factors influencing visitor attendance for a literary Arts festival in Stellenbosch (Doctoral dissertation, Cape Peninsula University of Technology).
Choe, J., Chick, G., & O’Regan, M. (2015). Meditation as a kind of leisure: the similarities and differences in the United States. Leisure Studies, 34(4), 420-437.
Crompton, J. L. (1979). Motivations for pleasure vacation. Annals of Tourism Research, 6(4), 408-424.
Chukwurah, G. O., Okeke, F. O., Isimah, M. O., Enoguanbhor, E. C., Awe, F. C., Nnaemeka-Okeke, R. C., ... & Okeke, C. A. (2025). Cultural Influence of Local Food Heritage on Sustainable Development. World, 6(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/world6010010
Dadman, E., & Madani , S. M. S. (2022). Investigate the concept of Festival and Celebration among Cultural and Historical Building. The Indonesian Journal of Social Studies, 4(2), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.26740/ijss.v4n2.p1-10
Dann, G. M. S. (1977). Anomie, ego-enhancement and tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 4(4), 184-194.
Dapko, R. J. (2016). Travel Education: A Phenomenological Study on Self-Directed Learning and Personal Enrichment Through Foreign Travel Experiences.
Deng, F., Ruan, W. Q., & Zhang, S. N. (2023). National traditional festival tourism and visitors’ national identity: a dual collaborative framework of cultural inheritance and inherited innovation. Tourism review, 78(3), 1019-1035. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-04-2022-0197
Dennis, A., & Darko, F. M. O. (2024). Exploring Materials for Constructing Fancy Dress Masquerade Costumes in Winneba, Ghana (1958-2020). International Journal of Culture and Art Studies, 8(1), 01-15. https://doi.org/10.32734/ijcas.v8i1.15858
Díez-Pisonero, R. (2025). Events and Festivals as Strategic Tools for Understanding and Assessing the Symbolic Reconfiguration of the World Urban System. Urban Science, 9(6), 223. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci9060223
Douglas, A., Hoogendoorn, G., & Richards, G. (2024). Activities as the critical link between motivation and destination choice in cultural tourism. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 7(1), 249-271. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-09-2022-0442
Duran, E., & Hamarat, B. (2014). Festival attendees' motivations: the case of International Troia Festival. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 5(2), 146-163. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-07-2012-0020
Edeoja, J. A. (2024). Assessing the Role of Education in Heritage Perception Among Young Graduates of Secondary School: A Case Study of Nigeria (Doctoral dissertation, UCL (University College London).
Esther, U., & Orieoma, O. C. (2022). Masquerades and Tourism Development in Igbo Land: Anambra State of Nigeria in Focus. Indiana Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(2), 92-97.
Fu, X., Zhang, W., Lehto, X. Y., & Miao, L. (2018). Celebration of heritage: Linkages between historical re-enactment festival attributes and attendees’ value perception. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 35(2), 202-217. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2017.1350618
Fu, Y., & Luo, J. M. (2023). An empirical study on cultural identity measurement and its influence mechanism among heritage tourists. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 1032672. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1032672
Gómez-Ullate, M., & Saraiva, S. S. (2024). Festivals and youth: an educational cultural route to festivals. Youth, 4(1), 369-381. https://doi.org/10.3390/youth4010026
Gulnora, K. (2024). The Role of Cultural Heritage In Shaping Family Relationships Among Youth. International Journal of Pedagogics, 4(11), 297-302.
Han, D. I. D., Weber, J., Bastiaansen, M., Mitas, O., & Lub, X. (2019). Virtual and augmented reality technologies to enhance the visitor experience in cultural tourism. Augmented reality and virtual reality: The power of AR and VR for business, 113-128. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-06246-0_9
Hjalager, A. M., & Kwiatkowski, G. (2018). Entrepreneurial implications, prospects and dilemmas in rural festivals. Journal of Rural Studies, 63, 217-228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2017.02.019
Hollows, J., Jones, S., Taylor, B., & Dowthwaite, K. (2014). Making sense of urban food festivals: cultural regeneration, disorder and hospitable cities. Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, 6(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/19407963.2013.774406
Iso-Ahola, S. E. (1982). Toward a social psychological theory of tourism motivation: A rejoinder. Annals of tourism research, 9(2), 256-262. https://doi.org/10.1016/0160-7383(82)90049-4
Jiao, X., Li, G., Qiu, R. T., & Chen, J. L. (2024). Analyzing destination resilience from a spatiotemporal perspective. Journal of Travel Research, 00472875241245048. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875241245048
Kapelari, S., Alexopoulos, G., Moussouri, T., Sagmeister, K. J., & Stampfer, F. (2020). Food heritage makes a difference: The importance of cultural knowledge for improving education for sustainable food choices. Sustainability, 12(4), 1509. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041509
Katsoni, V., & Costa, C. (2025). Innovation and Creativity in Tourism, Business and Social Sciences. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-78471-2
Kim, S. and Lehto, X.Y. (2013), “Travel by families with children possessing disabilities: motives and activities”, Tourism Management, Vol. 37, pp. 13-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2012.12.011
Kpekpo, M. J. (2022, December 29). The masqueraders summoned and the people obeyed during Takoradi Xmas street festival. https://www.myjoyonline.com/the-masqueraders-summoned-and-the-people-obeyed-during-takoradi-xmas-street-festival/
Kruger, J. B. (2022). Rising From the Ashes: An Analysis of How One Infamous Promotional Event Caused a Company's Ruin and a Concept on the Future of Influencer Experiences.
Lee, W., & Kwon, H. (2021). The influence of personal involvement on festival attendees’ revisit intention: food and wine attendees’ perspective. Sustainability, 13(14), 7727. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13147727
Li, H., Liu, J., & Chang, W. Y. (2024). Influence of Self-Identity and Social Identity on Farmers’ Willingness for Cultivated Land Quality Protection. Land, 13(9), 1392. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13091392
Lichy, J., & McLeay, F. (2018). Bleisure: motivations and typologies. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 35(4), 517-530. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2017.1364206
Lin, H. C. K., Lu, L. W., & Lu, R. S. (2024). Integrating digital technologies and alternate reality games for sustainable education: Enhancing cultural heritage awareness and learning engagement. Sustainability, 16(21), 9451. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16219451
Luonila, M., Suomi, K., & Johansson, M. (2016). Creating a stir: The role of word of mouth in reputation management in the context of festivals. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 16(4), 461-483. https://doi.org/10.1080/15022250.2015.1113646
Mackman, G. (2020). Festival Worlds: A Sociology of Culture, Collective Experience and Temporary Tribes (Doctoral dissertation, University of Essex).
Mair, J., & Duffy, M. (2018). The role of festivals in strengthening social capital in rural communities. Event Management, 22(6), 875-889. https://doi.org/10.3727/152599518X15346132863229
McKercher, B., & Tolkach, D. (2020). Influence of attractions on destination selection. International Journal of Tourism Research, 22(6), 767-775. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2371
Mendis, G. D., Chamba, Z. N., & Samarasinghe, R. (2024). Navigating Cultural Boundaries: Perceptions of Open Relationships among Sri Lankan Millennials. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 8, 557-574. https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.8120044
Micots, C. (2014). Carnival in Ghana: Fancy dress street parades and competition. African Arts, 47(1), 30-41.
Mocanu GD, Murariu G, Munteanu D. The Influence of Socio-Demographic Factors on the Forms of Leisure for the Students at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Nov 29;18(23):12577. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312577. PMID: 34886300; PMCID: PMC8657363
Mohamed, B. (2024). Narrating Belonging: Somali Adults’experiences of Acculturation And Identity (Doctoral dissertation, Johns Hopkins University).
Molanorouzi, K., Khoo, S., & Morris, T. (2015). Motives for adult participation in physical activity: type of activity, age, and gender. BMC public health, 15(1), 66. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1429-7
Munsi, R. V. (2024). Cultural Performance Festivals in Japanese Settings: An Ethnographic Narrative Analysis and Interpretations [PartII]. アカデミア. 人文・自然科学編, (27), 115-159. https://doi.org/10.15119/0002000352
Nag, A., & Mishra, S. (2025). Heritage-Led Destination Management: Strategies for Competitive Advantage. In Cases on Effective Destination Management (pp. 285-324). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
Oliveirra, S. L. (2024). The Role of Cultural Festivals in Fostering Social Cohesion in Multicultural Societies in Brazil. Enigma in Cultural, 2(1), 90-102.
Orji, B. E. (2019). The Masquerade in Abuja and Calabar carnivals (Doctoral dissertation).
Otoo, F. E., & Kim, S. (2020). Analysis of studies on the travel motivations of senior tourists from 1980 to 2017: Progress and future directions. Current issues in tourism, 23(4), 393-417. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2018.1540560
Pielichaty, H. (2015). Festival space: gender, liminality and the carnivalesque. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 6(3), 235-250. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-02-2015-0009
Portugal, J. P., Correia, A., & Águas, P. (2022). Decisions on participation in music festivals: an exploratory research in Portugal. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 13(2), 164-181. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-07-2021-0059
Quinn, B., & Ryan, T. (2019). Events, social connections, place identities and extended families. Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, 11(1), 54-69. https://doi.org/10.1080/19407963.2018.1465067
Rahme, M. (2020). More Than Music: The Lived Experiences of Communities Developed Through Music Festivals (Master's thesis, University of Denver).
Rodríguez-Campo, L., Alén-González, E., Antonio Fraiz-Brea, J., & Louredo-Lorenzo, M. (2022). A holistic understanding of the emotional experience of festival attendees. Leisure Sciences, 44(4), 421-439. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2019.1597790
Sasu, D.D (2024) Annual contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in Ghana 2019-2023. Downloaded from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1278510/contribution-of-tourism-to-gdp-in-ghana/
Sawyer, E. M. (2025). Cultural Immersion: Experiencing Local Life Around the Globe Authentic Ways to Connect with New Cultures. Megan Hollis.
Seyfi, S.C. Hall, M. and Saarinen, J. 2022. Rethinking sustainable substitution between domestic and international tourism: A policy thought experiment. Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events. https://doi.org/10.1080/19407963.2022.2100410
Son, I. S., & Krolikowski, C. (2024). Developing a sense of place through attendance and involvement in local events: the social sustainability perspective. Tourism Recreation Research, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2024.2335749
Sun, H. C., Pei, S., Wang, L., Sun, Y. Y., & Xu, X. K. (2023). The impact of Spring Festival travel on epidemic spreading in China. Viruses, 15(7), 1527. https://doi.org/10.3390/v15071527
Tan, Z. (2024). Family Recognition, Identity and Cultural Recognition of Spring Festival Culture among Young People in Chengdu. Advances in Applied Sociology, 14(11), 625-643.
Tao, D., Gao, Y., Cole, A., Baker, J. S., Gu, Y., Supriya, R., ... & Awan-Scully, R. (2022). The physiological and psychological benefits of dance and its effects on children and adolescents: A systematic review. Frontiers in physiology, 13, 925958. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.925958
Terruhn, J., & Cassim, S. (Eds.). (2023). Transforming the Politics of Mobility and Migration in Aotearoa New Zealand. Anthem Press.
Tian, R., Feng, Y., & Zhan, L. (2024). A Study on the Role of Tourism in Enhancing Personal Mental Health in the Post-Epidemic Era. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2023.042827
Tomić, S., Leković, K., & Tadić, J. (2019). Consumer behaviour: The influence of age and family structure on the choice of activities in a tourist destination. Economic research-Ekonomska istraživanja, 32(1), 755-771. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2019.1579663
Uysal, M., & Jurowski, C. (1994). Testing the push and pull factors of tourist motivation. Annals of Tourism Research, 21(4), 844-846.
Vieira, E., Rodrigues, M., Borges, A. P., Silva, R., & Franco, M. (2025). Beer Fest: Exploring Visitor Satisfaction, Experience, and Motivation. Event Management
World Tourism Barometer (PPT version) Volume 23 · Issue 1 · January 2025
Wu, S. (2018). Desire and Selfhood: Global Chinese Religious Healing in Penang, Malaysia.
Yang, Y., Wang, Z., Shen, H., & Jiang, N. (2023). The impact of emotional experience on tourists’ cultural identity and behavior in the cultural heritage tourism context: An empirical study on Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. Sustainability, 15(11), 8823. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118823
Yergeau, M. E. (2020). Tourism and local welfare: A multilevel analysis in Nepal’s protected areas. World Development, 127, 104744. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.104744
Yilmaz, N. (2020). The impact of festival participation on social well-being and subjective well-being: a study of the international orange blossom carnival visitors in Turkey (Doctoral dissertation, Clemson University).
Yoon, Y., & Uysal, M. (2005). An examination of the effects of motivation and satisfaction on destination loyalty: a structural model. Tourism Management, 26(1), 45-56.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Adriana Narkwa Anderson, Joseph Ackon, Kate Neequaye
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
