The Senior Minister has lamented the incapacity of the tourism sector to develop corresponding returns on government’s past investments or to record between top 10 on the continent.
Yaw Osafo-Marfo touted the assistance of sector by the Nana Addo administration given that its inception in 2017 as a proof of their dedication to improving upon tourism in Ghana.
“It is unfortunate that regardless of these investments, Ghana has not noticed a corresponding rise in our tourism earnings or split into top 10 Tourism vacation spot in Africa,” Yaw bemoaned, June 24.
Speaking at the start of Ghana Tourism Development Venture (GTDP) SME, he said that the initiative which is “a really crucial milestone in the record of the country’s tourism, arts and culture sector as we launch the initial-at any time Tourism Company Help System.”
This is the initial time these types of a plan is staying implemented in the history of the region to help the tourism field.
“This is the rationale why govt is supporting this task to strengthen on our tourism infrastructure to bring in additional readers like we witnessed during the ‘Year of Return’ programme in 2019,” Hon Osafo-Marfo said.
He more explained that though the continent had recorded a significant development recently, there is however a lot more to realize.
“Africa has witnessed a increase its tourism overall performance recording about 67 million tourists’ visits in 2018 creating it the next-swiftest developing location right after Asia Pacific when it arrives to tourism. This was a progress of 7% around 2017.”
“However, irrespective of this outstanding progress in 2018, Africa share of the world tourism pie remains little. Only 5% of international vacationer arrivals had been to African nations.
“In addition, Africa earned only 1% of the $1.7 trillion earnings in the sector. This is unacceptable taking into consideration the various tourism destination centres dotted all around Africa and Ghana in certain,” he decried.
Even so, the start of the GTDP will enable the cushioning of over 1000 market players in the Tourism sector.
The Scheme which is less than the auspices of the Tourism Arts and Tradition Ministry will disburse around ¢9 million to Modest and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the sector.
This growth comes right after industry gamers identified as on government to assist them as the outbreak of Covid-19 practically wholly crippled their corporations.
As section of measures to minimize the distribute of the virus, these general public services had been shut in compliance to the Presidential ban on social gatherings.
Meanwhile, Ghana lost an believed tourism earnings of US$171 million in a house of 4 months – from March to June, due to the world wide novel coronavirus pandemic.
The revenue loss followed the closure of the country’s borders to human site visitors, a measure taken by the govt to protect against the importation of the virus.
