New Tourism Act will develop sector – Official

Director, Standards and Quality Assurance, Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Mr Alex Boakye, has said the revised Tourism Act (2019), would expand the mandate of the Authority.

This he said would reposition the industry by ensuring strict compliance with laid down regulations on facilities and their management.

He said the new regulations would boost the nation’s tourism growth and also guarantee the safety and delight of patrons.

The Director said this when he took stakeholders including tourism operators and Municipal and District Chief Executives in the Volta Region through the Draft Bill of the 2019 Tourism Sites Regulations Act in Kpando on Friday.

Mr Boakye said, the aim was to have sites in good shape and safe for public use towards automatically generating the needed reviews to direct tourist traffic to the country.

Mr Elvis Gyampoh, Kpando Municipal Chief Executive said security was a key feature that must be well provided for in the Act.

Togbui Kodzoga V, Chief of Kpando Gadza who chaired the forum said the people of the region must show more interest in its tourism potential and create opportunities to enhance their livelihoods.

He said, the region has invested little in tourism, particularly in the middle and the northern belts, despite an abundance of sites and cultures.

Togbe Kodzoga called on the GTA to work more with local authorities to develop sites into iconic locations.

The New Act demands best practices and standards in management, layout, access, services, security and sanity.

These would include strict codes for hygiene and maintenance and also records on activities, patrons and staff.

The new Act would reposition the Tourism Authority to bring recalcitrant operators to book.

Source: GNA