By Doreen Ampofo
About a hundred thousand international tourists are expected in Ghana for the Christmas festivities.
The number, according to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, will be a major boost to the sector as the visitors will be spending on accommodation and food as well as visiting tourist sites such as the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum.
The Minister of Tourism Arts and Culture, Dr Ibrahim Awal, who announced this at a workshop in Koforidua, said the Ministry is targeting two million international tourists a year by 2026.
This will translate into an average of $6 billion a year, making tourism the number one contributor to GDP.
In a few weeks, it will be that time of the year when Accra and major cities in the country come alive with events, music, culture and arts in what has been termed “Detty December”.
The period attracts thousands of people from around the world, especially the diaspora, who not only want to have fun but also want to use the opportunity to connect with their ancestral homes.
According to the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Ibrahim Awal, the tourists will not be spending less than $3000, which will inure to the benefit of Ghanaians.
For the Arts sector, Dr Awal said that out of the five amphitheaters promised, two are currently under construction.
Principal Tourism Officer Geoffrey Tamakloe urged the media to be ambassadors of tourism.
Also present at the workshop and media interaction were directors at the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture.
Journalists were drawn from the Greater Accra, Eastern, Volta and Oti regions.
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