Gov’t has created right atmosphere for tourism- Minister

The Northern Regional Minister, Abdallah Abubakari, says government has put in place adequate interventions to increase earnings from the tourism industry in Ghana.

He has therefore called on operators in the industry to maintain high standards and ensure that a healthy competition is maintained.

He said the industry has seen improvement in its performances over the years in the region.

Mr. Abubakari said this in a speech read for him in Tamale during the 9th Northern Regional Tourism awards night which saw distinguished institutions receiving awards for their contributions to the industry.

“The Northern Region for instance has seen a substantial growth in tourism facilities which currently stood at over 150 registered accommodation and over 25 registered formal catering facilities”, he said.

Mr. Abubakari said more efforts are needed to be made for the tourism industry to attain the top spot on the foreign exchange earnings category.

He said on the domestic front, the arrival of tourists has increased from 646,175 in 2009 to 797,390 in 2013 resulting in generation of GH₵1702 million and the employment of 380,092 direct and indirect personnel in 2013.

Manager of Quality Assurance, Ghana Tourist Authority, Alex Boakye, said the awards were constituted to promote healthy competition among industry players.

He said the region was endowed with many tourist attractions including the Mole National Park and numerous festivals that needed to be fully developed for the promotion of the area.

SOURCE: GNA