Tourism industry to see facelift – Minister

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts is putting in place aggressive marketing strategies to promote the country’s tourism industry both local and international, Mr Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, the sector Minister, has said.

Mrs Ofosu-Adjare said the Ministry through its marketing drive had participated in international fairs that had yielded significant results and developed brochure on the country’s tourism sector by the Ghana Tourism Authority.

The Minister was speaking at a media launch of “Ghana Cities Guide” in Accra organised by EMH Global Ghana Limited, an NGO.

The Ghana Cities Guide places in the hand of the tourist a compact and handy pack containing print information, a video and a map of tourist attractions and investment opportunities in various regions of the country.

She said the Ministry had pursued proactive programmes to market the country to Ghanaians through school excursions and the formation of tourist clubs in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

Mrs Ofosu-Adjare said the Tourism Development Fund set up in 2012 had been in operation and that the Ministry was in position to begin tackling its physical development and develop the sector sustainably.

She said the Guide fitted into the plans of the Ministry which it had begun to roll out under the new 15-year National Tourism Development Plan.

Mr Philip Osei-Hwere, Director, Business Development and Marketing at EMH Global Limited, said the objective of the Ghana Cities Guide was to serve notice to all key players in the industry to introduce the country to both potential foreign and Ghanaian tourists.

Mr Osei-Hwere said their outfit had established a project dubbed “Kindergarten Aid Ghana” which is a joint initiative of EMH Global Limited, United Kingdom and EMH Global Ghana specialising in IT and communication services.

He said the objective of the project was to construct a minimum of three kindergartens in the deprived communities across the country by 2020 since the country’s education policy places premium on total development of every citizen starting from the early years.

“We see the provision of early childhood development facilities at the basic level of education as important in ensuring the provision of educational infrastructure and promote the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goal of providing access to universal basic education” he added.