The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has begun a test run of Accra city tour as part of the ‘Experience Ghana, Share Ghana’ domestic tourism campaign.
The tour began last Wednesday, June 16 with staff of the Authority aboard the newly procured double-decker open-air tour bus. Members of the Ghana Tourism Federation, and other agencies have since taken their turn on the tour of the city.
The promotional tour is also helping GTA map out routes for the bus and put together packages for patrons.
On Tuesday, June 22nd, the Authority organized one for the media where the bus took patrons through some of principal streets of the capital city. At Jamestown, the bus made a brief stop where the media and others onboard were given tour of the area and some of its historical sites by a local guide.
Acting Corporate Affairs Director of GTA, Jones Aruna Nelson said they introduced the city tour bus and the mummy truck (Boneshaker) as one of the ways to encourage Ghanaians to take a tour, know about their culture and also create jobs in the creative industry, foster national cohesion and the artefact and increase tourism’s contribution to the economy.
“So it is a promotional tour we are doing prior to operating the city tour bus on commercial basis,” he said.
He added that GTA would later acquire more of the buses to facilitate city tours all across Ghana.
“So we started with the city tour here in Accra and eventually it is going to be replicated in all the regions. There is this adage which says that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a step: so for now we are just doing Accra.”
Mr. Nelson maintained that, “So far, touring on the bus has been a good experience and I will encourage all and sundry to patronise this initiative so that we can increase the domestic tourism numbers. We have had a meeting with the tourism trade associations to give discounts to those who want to embark on tours in the city and to all the other regions.”
The ‘Experience Ghana, Share Ghana is the latest of initiatives by government to help whip up interest in the domestic tourism among citizens.
Story by: Samuel Obeng Appah
