Before we had a tourist information centre, visitors simply arrived in Amedzofe and walked around on their own. Many still made a point of greeting the chief first, because entering the village without doing so was considered impolite.
The tourist office opened in 1998 with help from Peace Corps volunteers. Visitors now report there when they arrive. The office can arrange accommodation, meals and tours, including hikes through the surrounding landscape.
As a guide, I meet tourists at the office and show them our area. I explain the landscape, daily village life and local knowledge, such as the ways people use herbal medicine.
Tourism has created a small number of genuinely new roles in guiding, catering and accommodation. These opportunities are open to women and men, and to younger and older residents. Most people combine the work with what they were already doing rather than leaving their old livelihood completely.
Unlike some other tourism destinations, prices here have not risen very much. The local economy has absorbed the extra activity without making everyday life much more expensive.
Money earned through the tourist office returns to the community in practical ways. It has supported better schooling, computer training and several scholarships for local girls, with help from the Peace Corps and other organisations.
Different groups in the community take part in tourism decisions, so everyone has at least an indirect voice.
Our basic infrastructure is still limited. We have no piped water, and around eighty percent of homes have electricity. Most people use telephone booths instead of having a telephone at home. The road from Ho remains rough, especially during the rainy season, although work is being done on it.
All land and housing remain locally and privately owned. Property is usually passed down within families instead of being sold to outsiders.
Crime is almost absent. We do not have a serious problem with drugs or prostitution. Local bars serve residents and visitors together; there is no separate nightlife world for tourists.
Marriage customs remain mostly traditional, whether couples marry in church or according to custom. Living together before marriage is becoming more common, but I do not think tourists caused that change.
Many of our visitors are Peace Corps volunteers or NGO workers, although tourists also come from other parts of Ghana and from around the world. International visitors often find the houses, environment and way of life completely new. Ghanaian visitors usually come from the cities for a quiet, cool weekend and are already familiar with much of our culture.
I have noticed the landscape becoming less attractive during the past year. Trees are being cut, and bushfires cause visible damage. We are trying to control illegal logging, but it remains difficult.
I have mixed feelings about attracting more tourists. I do not want growth only for its own sake, but the community needs the income and jobs that more visitors could provide.
There is one request we rarely say aloud: please dress a little more modestly, because local people may feel uncomfortable even when they are too polite to tell you.
We want visitors to feel welcome in Amedzofe. The best exchange happens when tourists are curious about our lives and also sensitive to our customs, our landscape and the community that receives them.