The Eastern Regional Director of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Mr Frederick Adjei-Rudolph, has appealed to the Ministry of Roads and Highways to repair roads to promote tourism in the country.
He said bad nature of roads leading to the tourist sites was affecting the tourism sector and resulting in a decline in revenue.
Mr Adjei-Rudolph said “Many tourists after contacting us to visit tourist sites refuse to come after they consider the nature of roads leading to tourist sites and this is affecting our industry greatly.
“We are losing 50 per cent of patronage due to this and we plead with the ministry to fix those roads.”
The Regional Director made the call at a press conference organised by GTA as part of activities to mark this year’s World Tourism Day, in the Eastern Region, on Tuesday.
The celebration on the theme: “Rethinking Tourism” was to highlight the opportunity for countries to rethink the need for the tourism industry to bounce back after effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current economic meltdown being experienced across the world.
Mr Adjei-Rudolph said that tourism throughout the world has become an economic transformational factor, and investing in the sector would help Ghana increase in revenue.
“Pumping money into tourism include fixing roads leading to the tourist sites. The GTA does not fix roads and so we will continue to appeal to the ministry to repair roads, especially the ones leading to tourists sites”, adding that tourism could create unemployment.
“Due of low patronage of tourism sites, the owners are laying off their workers, hence the need to fix roads to the sites to enable them operate at optimum level,” he said.
Mr Adjei-Rudolph urged stakeholders in the tourism sector to work hard to increase revenue.
The Regional Director said that in line with the sub theme: “Promoting Domestic Tourism for Wealth Creation in Communities,” his outfit would embark on domestic tourism awareness activities through the local media, to improve the interest of members of the communities in tourism and investment.
He said the GTA would also ensure tourist sites comply with the new tourist sites regulation LI 2393, revive existing tourist clubs in second cycle schools.
FROM AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN, KOFORIDUA
