We can make tourism lead

Ghana is blessed with many tourist attractions – some have been discovered and partly developed, others have been discovered but not yet developed while many others are untapped.

All 16 regions can boast more than one attraction that can drive tourism.

Besides, Ghanaians by their nature are so hospitable that the diverse customs and traditions have the power to draw visitors to the country all year round.

Every traditional area has a couple of festivals that can be leveraged to attract both local and foreign tourists all year round with good planning.

There are many ecotourism sites (about 18 wildlife-protected areas) such as the Kakum, Mole, Bui, Bia, Digya, Nini Suhien and Kyabobo national parks; resource reserves such as Ankasa, Gbele and Shai Hills; wildlife sanctuaries, including the Kogyae, Bomfobiri, Kalakpa, Agumatsa, Buabeng Fiema and the Duasidan monkey sanctuaries, as well as waterfalls such as the Kintampo, Wli and Boti.

Also not much is known about the Kyabobo National Park, a newly created park in the Atwode traditional area in the Nkwanta District in the Oti Region.

This park which covers an area of 359.8 km² has both forest and Savanna species of plants and animals and contains the nationally endangered endemic tree, Talbotiella gendtii.

Animals common to the park include buffaloes, kobs, warthogs, aardvarks and baboons with threatened species of animals such as lions, elephants, bongos, reedbucks and hartebeests.

What we are lacking as a people, however, is how to develop these sites and market our way of life such that we can draw the crowds from all over the world and benefit from the revenue that can bring to us.

While the Daily Graphic commends the government for what it has done so far with regard to developing some tourist sites across the country, it must not rest on its oars but continue to make our sites attractive and accessible.

Of special mention is the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum in Accra which has been redeveloped and made so welcoming that it has not only culminated in drawing large crowds, but revenue has swelled from GH¢3,000 to GH¢1.1 million monthly.

This alone should tell us that with a little effort we stand to make a lot of gains from tourism, and this can become the country’s number one foreign exchange earner in no time.

The Daily Graphic is also aware that the government has committed resources to improve about 10 tourist sites, including the famed Aburi Botanical Gardens, the Salaga and Pikworo Slave Camps, Elmina and Cape Coat castles, Kakum National Park and the Yaa Asantewaa Museum.

Steps such as these are what the country needs now to shore up its receipts from tourism.

We are also noted for our traditional outfit and fabrics such as the fugu from the northern part of the country and kente from Ashanti and Volta regions which have come to represent the black race across the globe, and we can leverage this to boost our tourism and trade.

As we approach the Christmas festivities, we challenge the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) to be deliberate in its programmes and scale up the line-up for its December in GH programme which entails Afro Nation, Afrochella, Little Havana, Taste of Ghana, Afro Nation, YouTube Creators Festival, Westside Carnival, Rhythms on da Runway, Roverman Productions Festival of Plays, Countdown Africa and Adina Conference, among others.

We also urge the GTA to effectively supervise the “Air BNB” business which has come to add to the hospitality business, and also ensure all in the sector meet internationally acceptable standards at all times.

The Daily Graphic believes that we can do more with all hands on deck and urges public private partnerships in the development and running of tourist sites across the country.