Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal
The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) says it has, in collaboration with the private sector, introduced affordable packages for the various tourism sites and attractions to boost domestic tourism.
The Deputy Head of Corporate Affairs, GTA, Mr. Kofi Atta Kakra Kusi, who made this known in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the introduction of the domestic tourism drive had been the game changer for the industry since the outbreak of COVID-19.
He said the regional tourism campaign also created an industry-wide tourism wholesale package for on-selling by operators.
According to him, even though the campaign so far had yielded positive results, it was important to still introduce more packages at affordable prices to continue to whip up the interest in locals to patronise these tourist attractions.
Mr. Kusi mentioned that as part of ‘Destination Ghana’, 40 million dollars was also allocated to refurbish some of the main tourist sites and attractions across the country to make them attractive to both locals and foreigners.
“Tourist sites and attractions regulation, LI 2393, passed in 2019 mandates government to upgrade the various tourist sites and attractions across the country.
These sites and attractions were in the hands of the district assemblies, chiefs and people of the areas, but now the GTA has come in and is fashioning out ways and means of coming together to see how to project these sites and attractions.
“We are doing this because, ‘Destination Ghana’ has come to stay, and Ghana is open and ready to receive tourist, diasporans and people of African descent as part of ‘Beyond the Return’. We are also looking at celebrating and branding Ghana in several ways,” he stated.
On her part, Madam Alisa Osei-Asamoah, President of the Tour Operators Union of Ghana (TOUGHA), said the response to the domestic tourism drive since its inception had been positive.
She attributed the growth to the private sector’s introduction of affordable packages for the consumption of the Ghanaian public.
GNA