Chinese tour operators explore Ghana’s tourism sector
The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts has identified China as a country whose potential in the tourism industry and investment opportunities can be tapped to transform Ghana’s tourism sector.
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The sector Minister, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, said effective collaboration with China would enable Ghana to harness its untapped tourism potential.
“The world knows that if it comes to numbers and the strength of the economy, the Chinese are the strongest force to reckon with. They have the investors who are ready to commit resources to build a robust tourism sector. So our responsibility is to sell Ghana to Chinese investors,” she said.
She was speaking at a stakeholders’ forum organised by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) to welcome a delegation of Chinese tour operators and travel writers who are on a familiarisation tour of the country.
The meeting afforded Ghana and China the opportunity to share ideas on the tourism sector in their respective countries.
Present at the event were industry players from the ministry, the GTA, hotel operators and other allied institutions and agencies under the ministry.
While in the country, the Chinese delegation will visit tourist attractions to enable them to explore potential areas of investment, including untapped tourism opportunities.
Facilitating Ghana-China tourism relationship
Mrs Adjare said as part of measures to build a strong relationship with China, the Tourism Ministry had collaborated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to facilitate visa processing for Chinese investors.
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She said it was the target of the ministry to explore untapped areas to make the tourism sector a leading contributor to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) within the next decade.
Removal of barriers
The Chief Operating Officer of the China Business Network, Dr Adam Wu, who spoke for the Chinese delegation, said the collaboration between the two countries would be of mutual benefit, since it would open up other investment opportunities.
“To be successful in this endeavour, efforts ought to be made to remove all barriers to the bilateral relationship. This will facilitate effective communication to boost business engagements,” he said.