Paragliding Festival: Tourism Authority embarks on massive face lifting of takeoff site

Revelers and participants attending this year's paragliding festival as part of the Easter celebrations in Kwahu are assured of a jolly good time and value for their money.

This follows the Ghana Tourism Authority's quest to lessen the suffering of holiday makers by embarking on a massive construction works to revamp the takeoff site.

The annual event which is the flagship programme of the tourism ministry is to promote domestic tourism in the country.

At the local launch of this year’s event, which happens to be the 13th edition, CEO of the Tourism Authority, Kwesi Agyeman, said the event is expected to attract a large number of tourists as well as pilots from some selected countries who will fly passengers during the festival.

According to him, a number of international tandem pilots from the United States of America, Romania and Japan will fly passengers at the festival while first 12 pilots trained locally will also be flying solo.

"This year, we are expecting pilots from the diaspora to partake in this year's event. They are coming as tandem pilots to fly passengers. Then we have about twelve (12) of the pilots who will fly solo. These are local guys who have been trained to fly on their own. For now they cannot carry passengers. They can start flying passengers as and when they become experienced and are able to maneuver the machine in space," he stated.

A tour to the Odwinanoma mountain takeoff site for the sports reveals massive face lifting.

Construction workers were seen busily erecting pavilions to provide shelter against rains and the scorching sun.

They were at the roofing level of two room structures to serve as washroom.

Workers of parks and gardens were embarking on landscaping and grassing for gliders to experience smooth takeoff.

Kwesi Agyeman expressed satisfaction with progress of work.

"Anytime we have paragliding we have to rent canopies and because of the weather the top will blow off but now we are constructing permanent pavilions that people can sit under. We have extended the park, we use to have a quarter of the field that you see and so we have added on two more of the size so more people can takeoff at the same time. I think it will offer them the opportunity to take nicer pictures, view activities, entertain themselves,refresh themselves."

"We are also putting up a washroom for people to use them. We've asked the contractor to speed up work and I'm very sure that we will have the place in good shape before the end of March," he explained.