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The Cape Coast Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr. Anthony Egyir Aikins, said on Tuesday that there was the need for the country to consider the promotion of cultural tourism to attract more tourists because the contemporary tourist was no longer interested in merely visiting tourism sites. He said it would be prudent to identify the quality part of the country�s rich culture such as festivals, funerals, traditional dances, marriage and naming rites as well as the numerous arts and craft in order to repackage them for tourists to generate more income. Mr. Aikins said this when he opened a two-day workshop on �culture and planning� for district cultural and planning officers from the Western and Central regions in Cape Coast. The aim of the workshop was to map out a strategic plan to enable the officers implement cultural projects and programmes. He said there was more economic potential in the country�s artefacts and handicraft but expressed regret that the finishing and packaging of such items was not the best and that adequate funds should be injected into that sector to train producers to package their wares well to attract market both at home and abroad. Mr. Aikins however stressed that negative cultural practices such as �trokosi� and female genital mutilation as well as the indecent way the youth dress these days should be condemned since they do not promote the nation�s culture. Mr. Aikins called for a pragmatic and systematic plan to incorporate culture in the national development agenda to foster growth because there was an element of culture in everything, �whether it is education, health or the economy�. The Director of Finance and Administration at the National Commission on Culture, Mr. Michael Attipoe, spoke about the importance of the nation�s rich culture and said historical and cultural values should play vital roles in achieving national developmental aspirations. He said he was hopeful that after the workshop the officers would be able to plan well so as to assist in the creation of wealth in their areas. A representative from Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), Mr. Isaac Owusu Mensah, said the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) could be best achieved if cultural issues were given attention. Nana Kwamena Nimfa, Adontenhen of Oguaa Traditional area who chaired the function, said there should be quality data on all cultural events for effective national planning and stressed the need for the country�s cultural values to be well utilized to contribute to national growth.