The Tour Operators’ Union of Ghana (TOUGHA) together with the Ghana Hotels Association (GHA) have toured parts of the Western Region of Ghana.
It is the first time both bodies who are all members of the Ghana Tourism Federation have collaborated on a familiarisation tour of this kind.
From December 3 – 5, the group visited selected attractions and sites to sample offerings within the Jomoro District. They included: Ankasa Forest Reserve, Nzulenzu Village on Stilts, Fort Apollonia, Nkroful, hometown of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first President and Maaha Beach Resort and among others.
At the Nzulenzu Village on Stilts, the group donated boxes of face shields to the community.
The tour party also made a stop at the Heroes and Year of Return Garden at Anomabo in the Central Region.
President of TOUGHA, Mrs. Alisa Osei-Asamoah described the tour as historic since it was the first time such a collaborative fam tour has been organised.
“As tour operators, we work closely with hotels as we use their facilities whenever we travel. And so it was important that we embarked on this journey so that they can also have a taste of Ghana’s attractions. Beyond this, we believe this is the kind of partnerships we need to create synergies needed to drive the domestic tourism agenda.”
On his part, President of GHA, Dr. Edward Ackah Nyameke Jnr added that “the whole thing is about partnerships that can exist among the trade associations. I am talking about Tour Guides, the Car Rentals, the Tour Operators’ Union, the Hotels Association and of course, together with the Ghana Tourism Authority which is our primary regulator.”
“So I would like to encourage the tourism trade associations to collaborate; let’s collaborate because the virus is still there and our escape route for now is domestic tourism and we should do everything we can to keep the fire of domestic tourism burning and I believe that together, we can make that difference,” he said.