UDS Nyankpala Wins 2018 Northern Regional Inter-tertiary Debate

The Nyankpala campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS) has won the northern regional inter-tertiary debate organised on the 2018 United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Day.

They pulled 80.7 points to beat the Tamale Technical University (TaTU) which came second with 74.2 points.

The debate took place at the weekend in Tamale and organized by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) in collaboration with UNWTO under the theme: 'Tourism and Digital Transformation".

The debate was between the UDS's Department of Ecotorism and Environmental Management and TaTU's department of Hospitality and Hospital Management and the motion was: "Is Digital Marketing Actually Better Than Traditional Marketing in Tourism Promotion?"

UDS, Nyankpala campus took home a trophy, a football and volleyball, a certificate of participation and a cash prize of GH¢300.00 while TaTU also took home a football and a volleyball, a certificate of participation and a cash prize of GH¢100.00.

Alhaji Hakeem Ismael, the Northern Regional Manager of GTA, said the debate was aimed at fostering closer collaboration with the two departments within the institutions.

He said it also sought to solicit information on the positives and negatives in digital marketing.

Alhaji Ismael said GTA, northern region, has established a Tourist Information Desk at the Tamale airport to help provide touristic information and assistance to their guest.

He said they have also acquired a 10 acre land at Fufulsu in the Central Gonja district to establish a modern restaurant for tourists who would be visiting the town.

Alhaji Ismael said they have also made efforts in collaborating with the Volta Lake Travelling Company to get a water bus, water safari and water businesses in Yeji, Makango and Buipe.

He said this would help bridge the gap between the north and the south in the country.

Alhaji Ismael said they have strengthened their quality assurance and standard departments in the region to ensure that their facilities adhered to the required standards in the country.

He said they were also promoting and marketing health tourism in the region to the Sahel regions to help attract revenue to the sector.

Alhaji Ismael urged the two institutions to see each other as complementary agents and not competing institutions so as to help raise the image of tourism in the country higher.