SONA 2019: Elmina Heritage Bay, Tetteh Quarshie cocoa farms and Kintampo waterfalls undergoing upgrades

President Akufo-Addo on his State of the Nation Address (SONA 2019) disclosed that several tourist sites including Elmina Heritage Bay, the Tetteh Quarshie cocoa farm and the Kintampo waterfalls are undergoing upgrades. 

According to the President, this will ensure world-class standards to set and maintain all tourism sites.

"Under tourist attraction upgrade project, several tourist sites including the Elmina Heritage Bay, Axim falls San Antonio the Tetteh Quarshie cocoa farm, Bunso Arboretum and the Kintampo waterfalls are undergoing upgrades"

Speaking on the Tourism, Art and Culture sector, the President also stated that the government is making special effort to attract tourists under the See Ghana, Eat Ghana, Wear Ghana campaign.

President Akufo-Addo made Ghanaians aware that their welcome attitude towards visitors is some of the greatest attraction in the country, Ghana is blessed with Castles, Forts, breathtaking beaches but our attitude will make visitors feel welcome. 

Read Also: Sarkodie is tweeting about the Creative Art in Ghana and here is what he is saying

Read the Presidents' statement on  Tourism, Art and Culture sector here:

Mr. Speaker, we are continuing with initiatives to improve the Creative Arts Sector. We have also worked to finalize the Creative Arts Bill, leading to the setting up of the Creative Arts Fund. For the first time, in 2018, Government provided support to the Creative Arts Council, and the Creative Arts Masterclass, to build the capacity of Creative Arts practitioners, has also commenced. The Eastern Regional Theatre has been completed, and work is currently ongoing towards the construction of the Kumasi theatre.

Mr Speaker, considering how often Ghana is in the news usually for good reasons, we have not been able to attract as many visitors to our country as we should. We are making a special effort from now onwards to attract tourists into our country. Under the See Ghana, Eat Ghana, Wear Ghana and Feel Ghana campaign, the Ghana Tourism Authority recorded a 20% growth since its launch to over six hundred thousand visitations to various tourist sites.

The World Bank has approved a US$40 million grant to support the Tourism Ministry and its agencies to help upgrade tourist facilities.
In September 2018, in Washington D.C., in front of the Congressional Black Caucus of the United States Congress, I proclaimed 2019 as the "Year of Return”, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first 20 West African slaves in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in what was to become the United States of America.

We intend to use the symbolism of this “Year of Return” to bring together Africans, persons of African descent, and all well-wishers and lovers of freedom to strengthen the commitment to ensuring that the blots on our history, i.e. the Transatlantic Slave Trade and slavery, never reoccur.

In response to this proclamation, some seventy (70) African-American Hollywood celebrities visited Ghana in December 2018. The year-long campaign, being coordinated by the Ghana Tourism Authority, is expected to increase arrivals considerably.
Training across the entire tourism sector is also receiving priority.

The Hospitality Training Institute has been renovated and re-opened in July 2018 to provide needed training in the hospitality and tourism sectors. Under a Tourism Attractions Upgrade Project, several tourist sites, including Elmina Heritage Bay, Axim Fort St. Antonio, Assin Manso Slave River, Tetteh Quarshie Cocoa Farm, Bunso Arboretum, Kintampo Water Falls, are undergoing upgrades.

A draft Legislative Instrument (LI) on Sites and Attractions is currently undergoing final stakeholder consultations. This will ensure world-class standards are set and maintained at all our tourism sites and attractions.

Mr. Speaker, the greatest attraction of our country is its people. Yes, we have castles and forts, we have waterfalls and dramatic mountain ranges, we have breath-taking beaches, and historical sites that reduce visitors to strong emotions, but it is the people of Ghana and our welcoming attitude that are the strongest attraction to visitors. We should never forget that we all have a responsibility to make visitors to our country feel welcome.

In this “Year of Return”, when we have invited the world to visit, I would urge each one of us to make a special effort to make a visit to our country a memorable one. Our music, our foods, our clothes, and the quintessential Akwaaba smile will make visitors to our country come back again and again.

 

Entertainment news on Prime News Ghana