Tourism industry to create more jobs

Techiman, B/A, GNA- About 3,000,000 jobs will be created in the Tourism sectors by the year 2007 for the unemployed in the country, Ms.Victoria Manford, Managing Director of Ghana Tourist Development Company has said.

Ms. Manford said one million international tourists are expected to arrive in the country in the same year and added that 1.5 billion dollars is supposed to be earned in 2007.

Ms Manford was speaking on Wednesday at a two-day food and hygienic educational workshop organized by the Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) for Traditional Caterers Association at Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region. Fifty participants drawn from Kintampo, Wenchi, Nkoranza and Techiman in the region attended the workshop aimed at educating participants on food preservation and good customer services.

She said the workshop forms part of the preparations being made by the Company toward the World Tourism celebration scheduled to be held on Saturday at Buabeng -Fiema and Kintampo water falls.

She commended government for its commitment in considering tourism as one of the three pillars of development and gave the assurance that needed facilities will be provided by government to promote the tourist industry.

Ms. Manford urged the participants to take the workshop seriously to improve their knowledge to ensure that sufficient and quality food is provided to the tourists during the celebration.

Mr. Francis A.Tapena, Acting Regional Manager of GTB said about 500 tourists were expected to attend the celebration this year as against 482 last year and emphasised that 520 million dollars earned last year was also expected to be increased. Her noted that the celebration in the area would create employment for the unemployed youth and provide social harmony for the catering industry.

He hoped that the workshop would equip the participants to acquire more knowledge in hosting visitors who will be in the area for the celebration to meet their aspiration.