Participants at a tourism stakeholders forum have appealed to authorities in the tourism, culture and creative arts sectors to pay considerable attention to marketing Ghana�s culture and craft to the outside world.
They also deliberated on measures to sell the country�s traditions, market its products and provide favourable services to tourists to help lift the image of the sectors.
They also asked service providers in the industry to understand the ideologies, culture and preferences of their clientele in order to provide them with quality products and services.
They made these observations in a group discussion at a tourism stakeholders� forum organised to enhance the partnership between Ghana and China�s tourism industries.
The programme, which was under the auspices of the Ghana-China Friendship Association (GACHIFA) and Sharp Eye Media Limited, was also geared towards accelerating investments in the tourism industries of both countries.
Participants at the forum were drawn from various sectors, including private players, the Ghana Tourism Authority, Ghana Immigration Service, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ghana Tourist Development Company (GTDC).
Essence of programme
Addressing participants at the opening session, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, said the significance of the forum was to discuss a wide range of issues concerning strategies to increase tourism related businesses and ways to attract tourists into both countries.
According to her, statistics on the volume and growth of world tourism demonstrated that the sector was playing a leading role in national development in terms of job creation, revenue generation and the stimulation of national economies through supply and value chain linkages.
�We at the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts are impressed with figures obtained from the Ghana Immigration Service, which show increasing numbers of Chinese nationals visiting Ghana for businesses in real estate, mining, retail and oil and gas sectors,� she stated.
Other perspectives
The Ambassador of the People�s Republic of China, Mrs Sun Baohong, said China was ready to liaise with authorities in Ghana to enhance the industry in both countries, pledging her commitment to help maintain its reputation and image.
A former Ghana�s Ambassador to China, Mr Kojo Amoo-Gottfried, said Ghana�s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, on his state visit to China on August 18, 1961, signed the historic Ghana-China friendship treaty under the tutelage of the President of the People�s Republic of China, Mr Lui Shao Shi.
Mr Amoo-Gottfried, who is also the President of the GACHIFA, explained that bilateral trade between Ghana and China was ranked fifth on the African continent, with China�s sponsored programmes offered to Ghanaian students the second highest on the continent.
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