Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has made a call to African countries to open their air space by reducing the taxes on inter-country flights within Africa to help boost tourism on the continent.
He said high airfares was hampering the progress of the tourism industry on the continent
Speaking at the first World Tourism Forum Africa Summit in Accra on Tuesday, October 10, 2017, the Vice President said the continent needs to build the right infrastructure to reap the benefits of tourism.
He said “we in Africa are already blessed with a conducive climate and rich natural resource. Ecotourism should, therefore, come easily to us once we focus on building the right infrastructure as well as bolstering security within our borders so that tourists to our countries remain safe and protected”.
He added that Ghana is working together with other West African countries to facilitate movements within the region “as part of the continental initiative to facilitate visa-free movement within several regions in Africa”.
The World Tourism Forum Africa Summit is an international event that brings together, tourism industry players to shed light on Heritage Tourism, Tourism Investments, Adventure Tourism, Destination Management, and Online Tourism among others.
This is the first time any African country has been chosen to host the event.
Ghana was chosen ahead of South Africa, Kenya, and Morocco due to the peaceful political atmosphere, hospitality and security.
President of the Executive Board of the World Tourism Forum, Bulut Ba?c? said the primary aim of the forum is to add value to the wellbeing of global tourism.
He said, “we believe that tourism will be a great contribution to global peace and stability, people can get to know each other through tourism… tourism is a great opportunity to overcome hate and racism”.
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