‘Ghana must tap fortunes of tourism to develop economy’

Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu Adjare, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, has said in developing the economy, more investment is needed for the country to tap into its various tourism and creative arts attractions.

She said the country has unique tourist attraction sites, which must be harnessed to improve on the living conditions of the people.

Mrs Ofosu-Adjare said this when she paid a courtesy call on Alhaji Muhammed Muniru Limuna, Northern Regional Minister during a week’s familisation tour of tourist sites in the region.

The tour was to enable the Minister see at first hand the tourism situation in the region and how to harness those potentials for national development.

She said the Ministry has a 15-year development plan to boost tourism and the creative arts industry and every region is required to develop its own tourist sites.

The Minister said the tourist sites visited were in good shape but need to enhance their publicity strategies to foster national development.

"Ghana has what it takes to enjoy domestic tourism," she said adding that the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies need to allocate some of their internal generated funds to develop their potential tourist sites and help alleviate the poverty amongst the people in their communities.

Alhaji Limuna commended the Minister for her efforts to improve and develop the tourism industry adding that the region has a lot of good culture and traditions that should be promoted.

He appealed to the Minister to see how best the Ministry could support youth groups to develop their talents in the creative arts industry.

About 30 creative artists from the Musicians Association of Ghana, Ghana Arts Guilt, National Association of Beauticians and Hair Dressers, poets and the Foundation for Female Journalists are on the tour with the Minister.

Tourist sites visited by the Minister included Larabanga Mosque, Mystic stone, Mognori Eco-Village and Zaina Eco lodge.