2013 Paragliding set to take off in Kwehu – Anane-Nsiah
Mr Ben Anane-Nsiah, Director, Special Events, Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) on Thursday assured that all was set for this year’s paragliding festival on the Kwahu mountains.
He said the eighth paragliding festival dubbed ‘Okwawu 2013’ is expected to take off on March 29 to April 1, 2013, as planned.
In an interview with the Ghana News agency, Mr Anane-Nsiah said the events would provide a good platform to highlight the tourism assets of the destination since the festival had boosted tourism to the Kwahu area and raised the profile of the Kwahu Easter celebrations.
He said the event was introduced mainly to focus attention on the Kwahu area, and make the kwahu region a special zone during the Easter celebrations, by drawing people from where they live to enjoy themselves in a very different environment.
He said ten paragliding pilots have been invited from the United States, France, Japan and Nepal to give visitors the opportunity to enjoy the paragliding experience, which would be complemented by a variety of side activities such as adventure hikes, musical shows and street carnivals.
Mr Anane-Nsiah said hotels were all prepared to host visitors, and assured that security would also be beefed up at the area due to the large number people who invade the town, saying that, over the years, “the numbers has increased and this year’s event promises to attract double the numbers.”
“This event and other associated tourism activities have also impacted positively on the growth of hotels and the introduction of other related tourism sports like cave hiking in the Kwahu area”, he said.
Mr Anane-Nsiah however noted that the road network from Nkwakwah to Etibie was not in its best shape, but assured that the District Assembly was working around the clock to put the road in good shape.
He said the mandate of the GTA was to promote tourism both locally and internally, and that it was ready to support any activity which promotes both domestic and international tourism.
“Our mandate is to drive tourism’s development and its promotion”.
Source: GNA