The youth, especially those in tourism needs to be supported and adequately resourced to carry on the torch of domestic tourism promotion in Ghana. Being the future of the country, the youth if properly equipped now would be in better position to drive tourism to heights that could see the country become a competitive tourist destination.
These are the general sentiments that were expressed by various speakers yesterday, February 18, 2020 at the launch of the programme of activities of the Tourism Society of Ghana (Tosogha) for this year. The event took place at the Accra Tourism Information Centre and brought together patrons from the local tourism fraternity, traditional authorities and the media.
President of the Ghana Tourism Federation, Bella Ahu lauded Tosogha for continuously pushing the domestic tourism agenda and roping in the youth even in these difficult times of Coronavirus pandemic. “I know how Covid has affected your activities, yet you continue to think outside the box and look beyond Covid. Let’s support the youth so they can push our domestic,” she charged.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture praised Tosogha for being the bedrock of domestic tourism in Ghana for more than a decade. He added the Ministry acknowledged the challenges private groups such as Tosogha are facing due to the ongoing pandemic.
However, “As a ministry with the mission of promoting our domestic tourism, we wish to state our readiness to help and support the Tourism Society of Ghana to successfully rollup and embark on the stated activities now and in the future,” the Chief Director assured.
More than ten activities have been planned all year long. They include: Accra City Boneshaker Tour, National Tourism Essay Competition, Youth In Tourism Festival, Moment of Passion, Tosogha Sport Tourism among others.
Executive Director of Tosogha, Joseph Amartey said most of the activities have been planned with key government institutions such as the Ghana Tourism Authority and Ghana Police Service to ensure that they are effectively executed especially in the midst of the current pandemic.
He stated that “We have lined up a good list of programmes and activities to whip up the interest of tourism in Ghanaians as we seek to promote our domestic tourism. These activities were carefully created to fit into the current situation in the world and in Ghana so that despite the COVID-19, our tourism industry does not lag behind.”
Amartey appealed for support from both public and private institutions in running their operations.
