Deputy Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mark Okraku-Mantey, has disclosed that hotels in Accra are fully booked prior to various December events.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem show, he said this was a result of government’s dedicated efforts to make tourism the top-most revenue generation sector.
He further revealed that Ghana has become the number one tourist destination in the West African sub-region.
“Last year, Ghana became the number one West African country when it comes to tourism. This means we have moved faster because we wanted to reach this feat by 2024. Now the target is to become number 1 in Africa by 2026.”
He added that a park dedicated to all past and present leaders in Ghana, Hughes Park, will be built next year.
Mr Okraku-Mantey called for an increase in expenditure allocated in the budget for the tourism ministry as not only government benefits when the sector thrives.
“Renovations have been done in several tourist sites across Ghana. Ghana has too many tourist sites that we do not need to build new ones. Roads leading to the sites must be fixed because the site is renovated and the roads are bad it doesn’t help. I reached out to roads ministers and some roads leading to some sites have been fixed like the Kakum National Park.”
Speaking on the refurbishment of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, Kojo Antwi said the renovation was completed in nine months by Ghanaians.
Last year, President Nana Akufo-Addo said his government, since coming into office in 2017, has put in place measures and initiatives which have resulted in the construction of a thriving tourism economy in the country.
He indicated that government wants to use tourism as an effective tool for economic transformation, which will help to create jobs and prosperity for the people.
According to him, government, with the support of international partners, will invest heavily in key tourism attractions, which will, in turn, boost tourist arrivals this year and beyond.
Events like Afrochella, AfroNation, December in Ghana, Black Star Line, Year of Return, and Beyond the Return have drawn millions of tourists, especially from the Diaspora into Ghana for years now.
South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Morocco, and Egypt are the top five countries visited most by tourists.
ALSO READ: