<<Print>>

The Deputy Minister-designate for Tourism, Creative Arts and Culture has says the ministry would fast track the Creative Arts bill to get the sector to be fully integrated into the tourism industry.

Dr Ziblim Iddi says the ministry would also launch the Creative Arts fund to support players in the industry.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Gushegu made the statement when he appeared before the Appointment Committee of Parliament, Monday also stated that the current tourism sector was the fourth foreign exchange earner for the country.

He added that ‘tourism is one of the low hanging fruit that the country has failed to plug.’

Dr Ziblim explained that the tourism sector is one area where the country could look up to in terms of its revenue mix.

He further announced that the ministry would create the Creative Arts Council that would set up a platform to help members of the sector to relate effectively with the ministry.

According to him, in Ghana the tourism sector was built on creative arts and as such the two were interdependent and called for concerted efforts to ensure that Ghana became a tourism friendly destination.

He called for public education on the country’s coastal communities to keep the beaches and environment clean to attract the tourists to those places adding that the ministry would fast track the Marine-Drive project that it inherited from the previous government to boost the country’s tourism sector.

Dr Ziblim stressed the need for the country to enhance research and development to improve the sector and announced the creation of the Destination Management Organisation (DMO).

This, he said is to bring stakeholders in the tourism sector together as well as enhance the management of the various tourist sites.

He also disclosed that the sector Minister had called for a national audit of all tourist sites to know their state of affairs and the obligation of the state to protect such places.