Ghana moves to boost revenue

ACCRA - Ghana is developing new tourism products to help draw in more tourists to increase revenue generated by the sector, Minister of Tourism Akua Sena Dansua disclosed on Thursday.

Speaking at the monthly ministerial press conference here, Dansua said Ghana has also initiated moves to upgrade its tourism infrastructure with the provision of good motorable roads leading to tourist attractions.

The country, she noted, has also developed decent and reliable transportation system and created an effective online strategy to expose its tourism and investment potentials to the outside world.

Ghana is endowed with a wide range of cultural, natural and historical attractions.

Additionally, the strategic geographical central location of the country, excellent air transport access, political stability, coupled with the proverbial Ghanaian hospitality and friendliness of the citizens, are not just assets but also provide a conducive environment for the growth of the tourism sector.

Currently, the tourism sector is Ghana's fourth-highest foreign exchange earner, making a huge contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and job creation, and continues to be one of the most important and fastest growing sectors of the Ghanaian economy.

All tourism indicators show a consistent trend of growth in terms of contribution to GDP, foreign exchange earnings, number of hotels and occupancy rates, restaurants, car hire companies, and tour and travel operators.

"Under the guidance of our present government, the achievements and our modest gains made so far, in terms of the sector's contribution to national revenue generation, employment creation, tourism infrastructural development as well as preservation of our culture and conservation of the environment, are phenomenal," she said.

"For instance, international tourist arrivals rose from 698,069 in 2008 to 1,080,220 in 2011, with corresponding receipts from $1.4 billion to $2.1 billion, respectively, while direct and indirect jobs created by the sector increased from 234, 679 to 330, 514 during the period," she said.

She said the ministry on July 12 this year commenced a program dubbed "The Domestic Tourism Pilot Project" designed to develop the interest of schoolchildren and students in domestic tourism.

The first phase of the project implementation attracted 150 schoolchildren from the regions who embarked on excursions to selected tourist sites across the country.