Accra, April 9, GNA- A group of Chinese tourists on Thursday announced a travelling expedition from Ghana across the Sahara desert to help them learn more about Africa and also promote Ghana and the continent as a good tourist destination for other Chinese. The tourists will also serve as goodwill ambassadors for China by creating awareness among Chinese people about tourism opportunities and investment potentials on the continent.

Mr Jin Fei Bao, owner of a travel and adventure tour agency in China said during the 81 days trip across Africa they are in constant touch with the Chinese media and everything they did would be reported in the Chinese print and electronic media on a daily basis. At a meeting with officials on the Ghana Tourist Board and private Tour Operators, Mr Jin said they chose Ghana as a starting point because of the good relations between Ghana and China. The trip, code-named: "Expedition to Cross the Sahara Desert," will take the tourists through Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Algeria, Libya and Egypt and will end at the Red Sea after more than 7800 kilometres trek.

The trip will also enable the tourists to document environmental concerns such as desertification, climate change related issues and the preservation of habitat for the protection of plants and animal species. In Ghana the group which has already visited the Meridian, the Centre of the World, would also tour Cape Coast, Kakum Park, Kumasi, Obuasi, Tamale, Bolgatanga, Sirigu, and Paga.

Mr Jin said they were particularly excited about the opportunity to meet so many Africans of diverse cultural and ethnic groups. Mrs. Gifty Quansah, Marketing Executive at the Ghana Tourist Board, said Ghana abounds with a lot of diverse tourists' attractions. She said the Chinese market is one new area that the tourism industry in Ghana wanted to explore and urged the tourists to partner the Ghanaian tour operators to ensure that more Chinese visited Ghana. 9 April. 09