Government says it has allotted some Ghs 55 million in grants to support various players in the tourism sector.
The said amount, government says is to help businesses and the sector in general bounce back from the adverse impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to government, the sector has lost about 75 percent of its resources and Ghs 8 million due to the pandemic.
Briefing the media after a visit to some tourism facilities in the Greater Accra Region, the sector minister, Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, posited that distribution of the Ghs 55 million grant to businesses in the sector will commence next week, adding that advertisements will soon be rolled out in the dailies and therefore urged industry players to apply for the grant.
Dr Awal speaking further at the press briefing, noted his outfit is aiming at making Ghana the most attractive tourist country in West Africa.
“The objectives of the Government is to, at least, develop two iconic sites in each of the 16 regions. Ghana is now number three in West Africa to Senegal and Gambia, and we do not think this is enough.”
“We think that Ghana is so big and endowed so by the end of 2024, we want Ghana to be the most attractive tourist country in West Africa,” he stated.
Adding that, the Ministry has been tasked by government to make tourism, arts and culture one of Ghana’s biggest foreign exchange earner.
On developing domestic tourism, he said plans are underway to train all stakeholders in the value chain to become competitive on both the local and international markets.
“Domestic tourism is one of the key things the President wants us to promote, so the Ghana Tourism Authority has rolled out the “Experience Ghana” and “Share Ghana” initiative to whip up interest and encourage people to explore the country,” he stated.
Dr Awal further stated that the Ministry was also working to attract at least 250,000 people to visit Ghana under the “Beyond the Return” campaign by the last quarter of this year, adding that this is also aimed at creating jobs and generate revenue for the country.
