TRAVEL GUIDE: GHANA
GLORIOUS GHANA WELCOME TO THIS SPECIAL GHANA TRAVEL GUIDE, A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE GHANA TOURISM AUTHORITY AND SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE. Located only a few degrees north of the Equator on the Gulf of Guinea, nowhere has a better claim to being “the center of the Earth” than Ghana. First gaining independence in 1957, the country is a wonderland of coastal savannahs and tropical rainforests. Those journeying here will find a jam-packed tourism destination, with a rich variety of cultural activities and nature-based adventures. The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) holds responsibility for the regulation of tourism in Ghana, including licensing, researching, marketing promoting, and developing tourism facilities and services within the country. After March last year, our industry was massively impacted by the fall in demand for both international and domestic tourism. In response, we launched several campaigns, including our “Ghana Guru” online information platform, designed to keep people informed about our country.
As Ghana was forced to shut down, we continued to do the needful to sustain the interest of people to travel. As part of our “Stay Home and Know Ghana” campaign, we made videos of our attractions available online to boost morale, inspire hope, and keep tourism alive online, if not in person. Then again during the Christmas period, we then held our “See, Snap, and Wait” program, which included a photo competition, encouraging travel to the country side but careful respect the necessary COVID-19 safety protocols. In Ghana, we’re particularly mindful of the value of sustainable tourism. The examples of Mole National Park in the North and the Tafi-Atome Monkey Sanctuary in the Volta Region demonstrates the country’s commitment to protect the flora and fauna. It’s a concept that we continue to develop across all work, on a national basis, as we
hope to improve Ghana’s status to become a leading green destination. In the same vein, it’s vital that our work benefits the local people who manage our attractions, and for whom tourism represents a way of life. Environmental conservation is a major concern for us. The Ghanaian cultural heritage is our major product that defines our uniqueness and we will continue to preserve this heritage that make us Ghanaian and share these values with our international tourist. We also pride ourselves on providing education, facilitating awareness at the level of our local communities, reminding people of what we need to do to conserve the environment and preserve our cultural values to continue to be authentic. In April, we were proud to collaborate with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts to organize a stakeholder consultative workshop, with the objective of developing effective and efficient short-term strategies to promote domestic tourism. Between 2021 and 2022, we’re expecting approximately 700,000 people to visit Ghana. We’re looking forward to bringing together our shareholders, media, traditional authorities and NGOs to join the campaign to make it a fantastic experience for tourists and locals alike. Spencer Doku, Manager, Research Monitoring and Evaluation, Ghana Tourism Authority Visit ghana.travel for up-to-date information.
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