Mr. Stephen Asante, a Reporter of the Ghana News Agency (GNA), has won the “2014 Tourism Writer of the Year” award at this year’s awards ceremony.

It was organized by the Ashanti Regional Office of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), at the Golden Tulip, Kumasi City.

He was presented with a Certificate of Excellence and citation in recognition of his outstanding achievements in the development and promotion of tourism in general.

“This award winner has over the years shown keen interest in tourism-related activities. His well-researched and educative articles, particularly those published on the internet and other media outlets have created awareness about the tourism potentials in the region to boost domestic tourism”, the citation read.

Mr. Charles Osei Bonsu, Executive Director of the GTA, lauded the journalist for his dedicated services to the sector and appealed to the media to continue informing and educating the public on tourism-related issues.

He said the last four years had seen a significant increase in the patronage of domestic tourism, saying that, the Kumasi Zoological Gardens, for instance, had about 70, 000 visitations in 2013, generating a revenue of more than GHC137, 000.

In addition, the number of hotels in the region, which stood at 111, 791, as at 1995, had also shot up to 503, 793 as at 2014, representing 53 per cent growth in hotels.

Mr. Osei Bonsu advised players in the industry to maintain professionalism in the discharge of their duties.

Barima Kwasi Offe Okogyeasuo, Paramount Chief of Kokofu, and Chairman for the occasion, urged the award-winners not to relax but strive for excellence in their endeavours.

The programme saw about 40 individuals and corporate institutions, mostly those in the tourism industry, being awarded for their contributions to the growth and development of tourism.