The Tour Operators Union of Ghana (TOUGHA) has successfully embarked on a week-long familiarization tour of northern Ghana.
The trip dubbed, “Journey to the North” took participants to all five regions of upper Ghana; Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper West and Upper West. As has been the tradition with TOUGHA, Journey to the North was to afford members the chance to acquaint themselves with sites and attractions in the area to help them in planning tour packages for clients.
“We couldn’t have gone on this tour at a better time than now when we are seeking to diversify our packages to give our clients more exciting choices and experiences,” said TOUGHA President, Mrs. Alisa Osei-Asamoah who led the group of over 30 for the fam tour.
She added that, “The other good thing about this trip was that, we were able to negotiate with businesses within the tourism value chain, such as hotels and tourists’ sites to give us operators competitive rates so that we would be able to convince more people to travel and discover all the amazing attractions in these parts of Ghana.”
The tour from July 24 – 30 began with a stopover at the Kintampo Waterfall in the Bono East Region then to Tamale for a scenic tour of the Northern Regional capital. Paga Crocodile Pond, Navrongo Cathedral of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows (the oldest Cathedral in Northern Ghana) and Pikworo Slave Camp rounded the tour of the Upper East Region.
The group visited the Ndewura Jakpa Palace in Damango and also toured Mole National Park, Larabanga Mosque and Mystic Stone to round up tour of the Savannah Region. The group also did a water safari on the Black Volta which houses the Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary, visited the Baobab Tree House at Busa and were given a royal treat at the Wa Naa’s Palace in the heart of the regional capital where they were granted audience with the Overlord, Naa Seidu Pelpuo IV.
While at Wechiau, a delegation led by President Mrs. Osei-Asamoah made a donation to the Talawona community with items consisting of clothing, assorted drinks and undisclosed amount of cash.
“It is important that we leave a positive and impactful footprint in the areas we visit and that is why it was important that this donation was made. We hope to do more as we continue to explore the country and promote domestic tourism,” the TOUGHA President said of the donation.
Capping off the tour was a night stay at the new Royal Cosy Hills Hotel in Jirapa where the touring entourage toured facilities and went on a safari through its private wildlife park and quad biking.
The Journey to the North adds on to numerous ones that have been undertaken previously in an ongoing effort to promote domestic tourism.
Mrs. Alisa Osei-Asamoah intimated, “There are lot things we have seen and experienced this one week that most of us didn’t know about. We have taken note of the positive ones to guide us in our tour operations as we move forward. And as we have always done with our previous trips, we will submit a comprehensive report to the Ghana Tourism Authority especially on some of the challenges that need immediate attention.’’
TOUGHA’s Journey to the North was supported by Ecobank and Special Ice.
By: Samuel Obeng Appah
