Abigail Arthur
 |
| Mrs Frema Opare in a hand shake with , Mr Akwasi Agyeman, CEO of the GTA.With them are Dr Ibrahim Awal ,(right)Minister of Tourism and Mr Okraku Mantey (middle) looking on |
The Chief of Staff, Mrs Akosua Frema Osei-Opare has called for active stakeholder involvement in tourism to drive inclusive growth across the country.
Such involvement, she said would effectively harness the
country's cultural assets.
Mrs Osei-Opare was speaking on "Harnessing Cultural
Assets for Inclusive Tourism Growth" at the Presidential Summit on Tourism
at Peduase in the Eastern region yesterday.
The two-day summit which began on Tuesday and themed
'Rethinking Tourism for Economic Growth and Job Creation,' was aimed at
bringing together tourism stakeholders to explore new approaches to the tourism
industry to promote national development, job creation and sustainable tourism.
The summit was expected to increase awareness and
understanding on the need for a new tourism in Ghana; develop new ideas and
strategies for sustainable and equitable tourism; increase collaboration and
networking among stakeholders in the tourism industry and create an action plan
for implementing sustainable tourism practices.
Mrs Osei-Opare stressed the need for the public and private
sector to collaborate to promote Ghana's festivals, cultural programmes and
other artistic expressions to ensure that the benefits of tourism were shared
equitably.
"This requires us to actively involve local communities
in the tourism value chain by empowering them to participate in the sector,
whether through artisanal crafts, cultural performances, or community based
tourism initiatives," she added.
Mrs Osei-Opare said communities must of a necessity have
some financial share of the proceeds from tourism ventures, investment in
education and skills development.
She said tourism practitioners need to invest in training
programmes that equip the youth with the necessary skills to excel in tourism
related professional.
"By nurturing a skilled workforce, we can enhance the
quality of our tourism services and offer unique experiences that sets us apart
in the global market," she added.
The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Mark
Okraku Mantey, underscored that tourism could revolutionise the country
considering the immense benefits that could be generated from it.
He said that was because the creative industry qualified to
be the highest employer and greatest contributor to the country's Gross
Domestic Product (GDP).
Mr Mantey therefore advised that among other things the
policy leadership, promotions and partnerships were deepened to drive tourism
in the country.