UNESCO and Ministry of Tourism launches book on Ghana's Heritage

Accra, May 28, GNA – Madam Akua Sena Dansua, Minister of Tourism, on Monday said the sector Ministry was making efforts to properly position Ghana as an attractive tourism and investment destination in West Africa.

She said the Ministry sought to project the numerous tourism and investment potentials, as well as the democratic credentials to the world, and increase tourism arrivals, revenue and general economic development of the country.

“Ghana's tourism policy is to develop Ghana as an internationally competitive and high quality destination where the tourism industry besides producing macro-economic benefits, will explicitly contribute to poverty reduction and conservation of the country's culture, historical and environmental heritage,”Madam Dansua said.

She was speaking at the launch of a publication by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism dubbed: “A Panorama of Ghana's Heritage,” in Accra.

She said the publication constituted the culmination and celebration of over a decade of UNESCO inspired and sponsored, sustained research and dissemination of knowledge on the historic slave trade.

Madam Dansua said the book depicted images that run through all the regions of the nation, illustrating a cross-section of the demographic and cultural mosaic of Ghana, adding that it challenged the reader to view the nation's cultural heritage from a variety of perspective.

“An important factor in the development of tourism is effective and creative marketing. A Panorama of Ghana's Heritage could therefore serve as an effective and attractive marketing tool for tourism in Ghana,” she said.

Madam Dansua said the book provided an excellent snapshot of some of the nation's creative industries and historical attraction, which would serve as one of the tools in bringing Ghana to the world's attention.

She said the focus of the tourism sector was the promotion of national culture for economic development and the Ministry in collaboration with stakeholders would promote the integration of culture in the development of tourism.

Madam Dansua called for inter-ministerial collaboration in areas of culture, economic development, trade, labour, domestic, and foreign investment, technology and communication and social affairs, for the planning and implementation of an effective tourism strategy.

GNA