The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) as part of its product development has commissioned the Beyin-Nzulezo Tourist Receptive Facility at Beyin in the Jomoro Municipality.
The move formed part of measures to streamline operations in tourist attractions in Ghana, especially Nzulezo (village on stilt) and create jobs for indigenes of Beyin and Nzulezo.
The facility is a modern office complex, which will serve as the arrival and entry point of tourists ready to visit Nzulezo and back to Beyin, and is operated by the Ghana Tourism Development project.
The former Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Barbara Oteng-Gyasi, who cut the tape to commission the project, said tourism would bounce back after the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that Nzulezo was one of the World Heritage sites, which would be developed into international standards.
The minister also hinted about the construction of receptive facilities at the Ankasa Forest, also in Jomoro, and development of Mampong into a cocoa museum, the Bonwire kente musuem and gold musuem in the Western Region all to boost tourism to contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Mrs. Oteng-Gyasi recalled that 2019 as the Year of Return, yielded dividends which benefitted Nzulezo, adding that “Beyond the Return” between 2020 and 2030, the ministry and the GTA would focus on things that promote tourism.
In this vein, local communities with tourism potentials would be developed to create employment and generate income.
She said Ghana hit over one million tourist arrivals in 2019 and was now targeting between five and 10 million to provide more jobs for the youth, adding that the government would develop all tourist sites in the country to fight the rural-urban drift.
She thanked Awulae Annor Adjaye for releasing land for the project and appealed to the community to maintain the facility.
The Paramount Chief of Western Nzema Traditional Council (WNTC), Awulae Annor Adjaye, who chaired the function, revealed that he was instrumental in the establishment of the Kakum National Park in the Central Region and would bring his expertise to bear on the success of the Nzulezo tourist site.
He emphasised the need to appreciate the efforts of Nzulezo community to maintain the facility and appealed to the GTA to ensure that tourists visiting Nzulezo strictly adhered to the safety protocols of the COVID-19 pandemic to avoid the spread of the virus.
GNA