This year’s United Nations World Tourism Organisation tourism day celebration will be marked in Hohoe in the Volta Region.
The Ghana Tourism Authority, under the auspicious of the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture, is set to organize the commemoration of the day held on September 27 yearly to showcase the tourism sector’s unique ability to drive economic development, preserve and promote culture and heritage as well as to provide opportunities for all.
In a press release issued to the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday in Accra, it said, this year’s event would be on the theme: “Tourism for Inclusive Growth” to convey the many social and economic benefits that tourism brought, resulting in wealth creation and poverty reduction.
It said the celebration would reaffirm the sector’s commitment to building a more prosperous and peaceful world through tourism with everyone onboard. It is both timely and necessary.
“The restriction on international travel compounded by hotel quarantine for all arrivals and the extended and unintended effect has made clear the relevance of tourism to our societies.”
It said “the economic and social impact has been felt far beyond the sector itself, and in many places, the most vulnerable members of society have been hit hardest of all. Therefore, unlocking the potential of tourism, its extensive value chain and investments facilitation and opportunities could deliver more inclusive and sustainable growth in traditionally marginalized communities with huge tourism and other resources.”
The release noted that, by expanding access to tourism education and delivering sector-specific training, more people would benefit from tourism’s future growth.
“Working for inclusive growth means getting everybody behind a better vision for tourism through which inclusive growth, global poverty and inequality levels between countries will improve and thereby incentivizing a unique occasion to amplify the conversation about the sector’s role for the revitalization of the sector following the effects of COVID-19 pandemic.”
It said the Ghanaian destination raked in $3.3 billion with a total of 1.3 million tourist’s arrivals by the end of 2019, but the pandemic reduced the gains made by two thirds in 2020 and depressed the tourism value chain indicators.
“Management and staff welcome our tourism industry players and all Ghanaians to join in making the Celebration an impactful one than ever before,” the press release said.
