The government has released GH¢1.8 million to the tourism sector to help bolster and support its growth. The grant is a follow-up to a similar allocation of GH¢1 million given to the creative arts industry earlier this year.
This was announced earlier in the week by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare at a stakeholders’ framework on the application of the Tourism Development Fund in Accra.
According to the minister, the government strongly believed that in order for the Tourism Fund to make the necessary impact, it still needed financial support from the state.
She said the tourism sector was making significant contribution to national development in terms of investment in facilities and services, employment, revenue and incomes for stakeholders.
Mrs Ofosu-Adjare noted that while the government was not particularly interested in who got what of the financial support, she was hopeful it would be used for the development, promotion and capacity- building activities within the sector.
She said a nationwide training programme had been introduced to build the capacity of practitioners within the tourism and hospitality business.
As a result of the financial challenges facing the tourism sector, Tourism Development Fund was established to help provide funding through the one per cent Tourism Levy on patrons of tourism establishments.
Stakeholders at the meeting, who comprised trade associations and institutions within the sector, deliberated on the progress on the fund and considered the legal framework for its disbursement.
The fund has accumulated about GH¢26 million as at the end of September this year. According to its Manager, Mr Abraham Tetteh, though the fund is a little over three years old, the commitment demonstrated in the payment of the levy had ensured generation of an appreciable amount.
He stated that the legislative instrument that established the fund mandated a board of directors to establish a policy framework in areas such as tourism promotion and marketing, infrastructure development, enhancement of entrepreneurial activities, education and training.
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