MP calls for tourism offices at Ghana's diplomatic missions

An improved version of the Tourism Award Scheme was on Friday launched in Accra with a call on the government to establish trade and tourism promotion units in all Ghanaian diplomatic missions.

There should also be special tourism promotion offices in countries where Ghana expects potential tourists, Nana Asante Frempong, NPP Member of Parliament for Asante Kwaabre, said, arguing that such offices had the potential to increase visits of tourists to Ghana.

He noted that President John Agyekum Kufuor acknowledged the importance of tourism to national development when he placed it second to exports as the key to the survival of this country. Saying that it was time for government to put its money where its mouth was.

The 15 billion cedis budgetary allocation for the sector in this year's budget was an all time high, Nana Frempong observed, saying it was an indication of the government's commitment to the development of tourism in the country.

Mr Martin Mireku, Acting Executive Director of Ghana Tourist Board (GTB), who launched the award scheme, said with the anticipated growth in tourism in the 21st Century, comparative advantage would be a critical pre-requisite for increased benefits.

"To be a winner in the competitive global tourism terrain, we must apply state-of-the-art technology and other modern day mechanisms to ensure the comfort of the guest," he said.

"The award scheme is designed to motivate players in the industry to strive for higher standards in the sector." The award scheme, which seeks to reward excellence, quality service delivery and sustainability is in two categories - competition and honorary.

The competitive awards would be given to tourism facilities and core industry players while honorary awards go to corporate bodies, regions, districts and communities and individual whose activities and special programmes impact positively on tourism development.

The award would essentially focus not only on service delivery but also on the level of quality assurance, sensitivity to environmental integrity, responsiveness to welfare and concern for host communities and identification with the national programme of corporate marketing of Ghana, among other things. The national awards night is slated for October 5, 2002, to be preceded by regional awards.