Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), has launched the 2023 Tourism Month under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. The launch took place in Accra on Wednesday 30th August 2023 at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park with a call on tourism operators to support the initiative of promoting domestic tourism and to ensure that Ghana becomes the centre for the development of sustainable tourism and the preferred destination in the West African Sub-region.
The Month which falls in September every year is aimed at encouraging people to patronise important festivals and to visit tourist attraction sites in the country.
The theme chosen for this year’s celebration is: “Rethinking Tourism” and focuses on domestic tourism and the role it can play in helping grow and sustain tourism in our economy.
The Deputy Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Hon. Mark Okraku Mantey speaking at the launch, referred to the theatres, cinemas, eating places and event centres which were operating while he was growing up and which drew crowds to those places because of what they offered. According to him, most of such places are no longer in operation or vibrant as they were due to many factors. It is therefore important that we promote and patronise what we currently have to make them viable.
The Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Operations at the Ghana Tourism Authority Mr. Ekow Sampson said this year’s Tourism Month coincides with the World Tourism Day celebrated by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
He said apart from the economic benefits, tourism teaches us about our cultural heritage and enables us as a country to present our unique cultural, historical and environmental heritage to the international community. It also provides jobs and employment opportunities to the youth of our country.
He also said the government was currently pursuing the development of the sector such that it will become internationally competitive and in line with our social values and environment.
According to him, the upgrade and renovation of various tourist attraction sites across the country through the Ghana Tourism Development Project, a World Bank-funded activity, has had a positive effect on visitors locally and internationally. He said the “Experience Ghana, Share Ghana” campaign coupled with the “December in GH” events and activities as part of the “Beyond the Return” initiative are all indications of the Ghana Tourism Authority’s readiness to promote Destination Ghana as the centre of the World.
He made a call to tourism private sector bodies, trade associations and the media to continue to support the initiative and called on all stakeholders and sponsors to come on board to help the vision of making Ghana the number one tourism destination be achieved.
He mentioned some of the activities earmarked for this year’s celebration to include: the Oguaa Fetu Afahye in Cape Coast, Central Region; Asogli Teza (yam festival) in Ho, Volta Region; Kobine Festival, Lawra, Upper West Region; Kundum festival in Axim, Western Region, Ahobaa Kese Festival in Gomoa Assin in the Central Region and the Odwira festival at Akropong, Eastern Region.
Others include the Paragliding Festival, King of the Mountains Cycling Championship, Special Tour to augment the Paragliding Festival all in Kwahu, Miss Tourism, Explosion of Joy, Sensitisation Workshop on Tourist Sites, Tourism Fitness Day Health Walk, The Global Citizen in Accra, Ghana Week in Washington DC and United Nations World Tourism Day in Ada in the Greater Accra Region.
Present at the launch to grace the occasion was the Board Chair of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Hon. Seth Agyei Baah who also appealed to the media to be good ambassadors by carrying the news around to enable people to experience and feel Ghana well.