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Government will invest over GHȼ400million in revamping the tourism sector next year, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has disclosed.

The amount, the minister explained, will be used to establish new tourist attraction sites such as museums, rehabilitate and upgrade existing attractions – including the Monkeys Sanctuary at Shai Hills, Mole National Park, Cape Coast and Elmina Castles, among many others across the country.

“At a more micro-level, next year, the government, in conjunction with our development partners, will commit over GHȼ400million to provide new tourist attractions in addition to renovating existing ones,” the minister announced in his keynote address at the Ghana Tourism Investment Summit 2023 held in Accra.

The move, the minister noted, is in line with an urgent need for increased funding and investment to support sustainable tourism practices and modern infrastructure while positioning the sector to contribute significantly to socio-economic development.

The tourism sector – arts, culture and hospitality – is a critical sector for the economy. Apart from providing sustainable jobs, tourism is the third contributor to the country’s gross domestic product and is projected to become the number one contributor to GDP in the next five years, if given the needed support.