Ghana To Organise Second Paragliding Festival In October

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts will organise a second paragliding festival in October this year on the Odweanoma Mountain at Kwahu � Atibie in the Eastern Region. To be dubbed �corporate Ghana paragliding festival," the programme will involve financial institutions, insurance companies, mining, oil and gas, aviation and telecommunication companies among others. The sector minister, Mrs. Elizabeth Ofosu�Adjare, announced this at the 9th paragliding festival at Atibie in the Eastern region as part of activities to mark the Easter festivities in the Kwahu area. The festival is expected to end on Tuesday 22nd April, 2014. The festival attracted 15 pilots from the United States of America, Peru, Spain, Thailand, Belgium, France and Japan. Mrs. Ofosu-Adjare said the completion of ongoing accommodation projects and catering facilities would help transform Kwahu into a world class paragliding destination and attract paragliding fans during the festivals. She was of the conviction that the Ghana Tourism Authority, district assemblies and the Ghana Tourist Development Company, traditional authorities and all other stakeholders would collaborate to make the planned programme a reality. She directed that an expanded national planning committee comprising all major stakeholders be constituted soon after this year�s edition of the festival to address all the identified challenges and ensure that subsequent events were organised with a more professional and business-like approach. The Minister said the festival apart from giving an international flair and flavor to the celebration of Easter on the Kwahu Ridge had also �given impetus to the establishment and growth of tourism enterprises and other related businesses in the Kwahu area, thus creating jobs and generating income for the local populace. She, however, called for additional investment, especially in commercial accommodation enterprises such as hotels, guest houses, lodges and homestays. Mrs. Ofosu-Adjare drew the attention of investors to the opportunities for resort and water sports development on the numerous islands in the Volta estuaries, in the Afram Plains and urged them to take advantage of those opportunities. She gave the assurance that the Ministry would encourage Ghanaians to take the commanding heights of the many opportunities in the tourism, culture and creative arts industry. She commended all those who had contributed in diverse ways to the successful organisation of the festival.?The Eastern regional Minister, Mr. Julius Debrah, said the region had many untapped tourism potentials and, therefore, appealed to investors to come to the region to invest in the industry.