Upper East - a good tourism destination

Bolgatanga, July 16, GNA - The Upper East Region is among the finest and friendly tourism destination in the country with varied tourist attractions.

The Regional Director of the Ghana Tourist Board (GTB), Madam Mary Agangmikire, told the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga on Wednesday that the attractions included crocodile ponds, slave routes, rocks used as drums by the slaves under captivity in Paga, slave stops and slave resistant spots and shrines, including that of Babatu, the famous slave raider in Sandema.

Other places of interest, she said, were the Tenzug shrine in Tongo, believed to be a very powerful god that serves people's needs, no matter what the demands are, and also rocks, shaped naturally to the admiration of anybody who sees them.

She said an attraction such as the "tomb" of the famous warrior, Naa Gbewaa, which is also a shrine in Pusiga, near Bawku, is available and added that it is believed that the warrior vanished in the heat of one of the wars.

Besides, the Director said a museum that houses monuments of great men and warriors from the three Northern Regions of Ghana, palaces of chiefs as well as the traditions and cultures of the various ethnic groups is readily displayed for visitors to admire.

"The people are hospitable and ready to embrace all kinds of visitors," she added.

Madam Agangmikire, noted that tourism although has the potential to grow and attract tourist to the area, little has been done to give these attractions good publicity.

She said the GTB has began a programme to sensitise the people, especially the traditionalists, who keep these attractions to make it flexible enough for visitors to have a look at the sights without difficulty.

She said to visit some of the sights now, it demands that certain rituals are performed, although they may not be too significant in today's world adding that the delay in going through such formalities sometimes scare away visitors.