Kojo Odame Antwi
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Tourism Development Company (GTDC), Kojo Odame Antwi, has said his outfit will harmonize all the taxes and levies paid in the tourism industry by industry players.
According to him, the GTDC is engaging government on some taxes and levies that could be reduced to bring relief to the industry players.
He said GTA has outline about 14 levies that they believe could be reconsidered to help more people invest heavily for the development of the tourism Industry.
Mr Antwi made the remarks in an interview with the media at a two-day Ghana Tourism Summit held in Koforidua.
He said industry players have expressed concerns about numerous taxes and levies in the industry.
The summit, which was under the auspices of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), was aimed at taking stock of successes chalked by industry players.
He said his outfit was considering the introduction of tax incentives and resolving the challenges faced by industry players to attract more investors into the industry.
He said the marine drive project will create 15,000 jobs from the launch through the construction stage and about 150,000 jobs in the next 10 years.
He said the marine drive will have a banking enclave, casinos, restaurants, apartments, hotels and a host of other sites and scenes, which will create a lot of tourism opportunities and attract visitors to boost the industry.
The CEO of the GTA, Akwasi Agyeman said the summit gave stakeholders the opportunity to formalise and agree on a certain blue print that will serve as a guide for all.
He said the Authority is seeking to build trust and find solutions to challenges confronting the industry.
President of Ghana Tourism Federation (GHATOF) Bella Ahu charged members of the industry to contribute their one percent levy to enhance the positive growth of the industry.
She said there was the need for stakeholders to renew their mandate and assurance for a high productivity in the industry.
As part of the two-day training, participants were trained on corporate governance and leadership, financial management and fund-raising for trade associations, marketing and promotion of tourism, registration and licensing procedures of tourism enterprises and Tourism Development Fund update since implementation.
– GNA