Accra (Greater Accra), 7th May ?99 ?

Mr Edward Salia, Minister of Roads and Transport, said on Thursday that the government is undertaking reforms in the institutions that provide ancillary services at the country's entry points to make the process of entry less cumbersome for tourists.

He was addressing delegates at one of a series of seminars forming part of the on-going joint World Tourism Organisation (WTO), Africa Travel Association (ATA) meeting and Convocation of African Ministers of Tourism in Accra.

The theme for the seminar was "Access Africa: Tearing the Barriers to Travel."

Mr Salia said high air fares, cumbersome customs and immigration procedures, characterised by several check-points and resultant delay in clearing tourists and their luggage are major obstacles to attracting tourists to West Africa.

"Consequently, under the gateway programme, the Ghana government is undertaking some reforms in the two institutions that provide these ancillary services with the view to streamlining the entry procedure to promote tourism."

Under the reforms, security services as well as those of immigration and health at the entry points, are to be consolidated to ensure rapid clearance of entrants and reduce the bother of numerous stops on the way of tourists.

Mr Salia said the number of examinations undertaken at the ports of entry for cargo are to be reduced to one, adding that cargo examination would be reduced from 100 per cent to 10 per cent for statutory free goods and 20 per cent for all dutiable goods.

He said overland customs and other checkpoints for travellers from Togo would be reduced to one and those from Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso to two.

The Minister assured business tourists that special transit visas would be issued to them on arrival to save them the trouble of waiting for over a month after their business transactions before obtaining return visas.

Mr Salia said to ensure the efficient implementation of the new reforms "a number of immigration officers and consuls would be trained to pursue the gateway objectives such as to making them more tourist friendly and welcoming."

The Minister observed that most of the on-going government road projects are designed to terminate at tourist attraction locations to ensure that tourists have easy access to the tourism resources and attractions in the country.

He mentioned routes such as Accra-Yamoransa road, which gives safe and improved access to the historic slave forts and castles in the Central Region, the Kumasi-Tamale-Paga road which offers easy access to tourist attractions and destinations such as the Paga Crocodile Ponds, Tongo Caves and Mole Game Reserve.

Mr Salia noted that although railway transport has high patronage among tourists in developed countries, the presence of as much as nine railway gauges in Africa has denied the continent the benefits that the facility can provide.

On water transport, he said poor infrastructure and lack of funds to sustain a viable water transport sector were factors impeding the sector.

He, therefore, called on delegates to stress the need for collaboration and co-operation in the water transport and railway sectors "to enable us to consolidate our strengths and establish a viable water and rail system transport sectors to promote tourism on the continent."

Wing Commander Andy Mensah (rtd), Director-General of Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), said rehabilitation of all the country's airports are scheduled for completion by 2001 or earlier.

This, he said, is to ensure that hospitality facilities are provided at the airports for tourists, adding that the GCAA aims at turning Kotoka International Airport into a hub in the sub-region in the next three years.

Mr Emmanuel L. Quartey, Chief Executive of Ghana Airways Limited, noted that in 1998, the airline transported 272,000 passengers in and out of the country thus recording a significant increase in freight.

That, coupled with a reduced operational cost, moved the pre-tax profit of the company up.