Tourist Board warns publishers of unauthorised maps

The Ghana Tourist Board has warned persons who publish unauthorized maps and tourist destination guides to desist from the practice.

The board said a study of a few of the materials it had gathered showed wrong spelling of the names of tourist sites as well as poor drawing of maps to some of the destinations.

A senior executive at the Ghana Tourist Board, Ben Ohene Ayerh, told Joy FM on Thursday.

He said the situation is becoming increasingly worrying as the board keeps receiving several complains from tourists sojourning in the country.

He said tourism is critical to the country's development and urged publishers of materials intended to aide tourists to seek approval from the board.

Describing the industry as a major drive for the country's development, Mr Ayerh announced that the board is opening a new page in Ghana's tourism drive.

The Ghana Tourist Board was established to ensure sustainable tourism development as it projects the country's cultural heritage.

The board is embarking on a programme to improve conditions at the country's major tourist attraction centres.

This, according to him, is taking the form of closer regulation of the management of the various sites.

Ghana's tourism industry has suffered a lot of neglect over the years, with little effort driven into it.

While governments in the past have sought to boost the industry's prospects, analysts say a lot remains to be done.

Story by Fiifi Koomson/Myjoyonline