The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has begun its regional tourist visits as part of efforts to promote the ‘Experience Ghana, Share Ghana’ Campaign and encourage domestic tourism.
The team has over the last two weeks visited Aburi Gardens, Bunso Eco Park, and Akwamu Fie in the Eastern Region; Shai Hills Resource Reserve in the Greater Accra Region, and Amedzofe Walkway, Mount Geme, Wli Waterfalls, and Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary in the Volta Region.
Speaking on the purpose of the tours, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Mr Akwasi Agyeman, said the visits were part of activities geared towards deepening the domestic tourism agenda in Ghana.
“Ghana is blessed with a rich blend of beautiful landscapes, historical relics, and traditional cultures across all its regions. As part of the activities outlined for the ‘Experience Ghana and Share Ghana’ Campaign, we are embarking on these tours across the country to highlight the beautiful tourist attractions, their insights, and activities,” he said.
He said, “Promoting domestic tourism is a tool to increase tourism revenues, job creation, infrastructure development, cultural preservation, and poverty reduction. Therefore, I encourage Ghanaians to have fun experiencing Ghana which will in the long run contribute to the country’s economic growth”.
Mr. Agyeman revealed that the team would visit other tourist sites in Central, Western, Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Savannah, Upper East, and Greater Accra Regions.
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Mr Asare Frimpong, Facility Manager at Bunso Eco Park, noted that visitors who come to the place would enjoy the purest form of oxygen in the arboretum, health insights, and adventurous sporting activities.
Making a stop at the Aburi Botanical Gardens, Emmanuel Klottey, a tour guide, admonished Ghanaians to visit the Garden to have a feel of its rich history, and to learn about the medicinal properties of plants and tree species in the garden.
At Akwamu Fie museum, the team was educated on the rich history of Akwamu and the story related to shifting alliances and conflicts between the Danes and the Akwamu people.
On the next journey to the Volta Regional Tour sites, the team, on their way, visited the magnificent Shai Hills Resource Reserve to observe the scenery, and the fascinating animals, hike and explore the Mogo cave and finally visited the museum. They also had the Amedzofe Canopy Walkway experience and visited Mount Gemi.
The next journey was to the highest waterfall in West Africa; the breathtaking Wli Waterfalls after crossing 9 bridges, the falls gushing through the mountains into the stream was such a beautiful scene to behold. The team further journeyed to Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary and Cultural Village to experience the wild but playful Mona monkeys.
The Domestic Tourism campaign is under the Ghana Tourism Development Project (GTDP), which is under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.