Accra, Aug. 11, GNA=96Ghana and ten other African countries are to benefit from the United Nations World Tourism (UNWTO) sponsored Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Cross Border Parks Project.

The Project would help boost eco-tourism in Project countries towards conservation of the tropical flora and fauna and reduction of poverty for communities living around the parks. Ms Akua Sena Dansua, Minister of Tourism, speaking at the meet-the-press series organized in Accra on Thursday to highlight the achievements and the challenges of the sector, said Ghana lobbied for the project during the 36th African Travel Association (ATA) Annual World Congress in Dakar, Senegal.

She said the Ministry has also lobbied UNWTO to field a sector support mission to Ghana to assist in updating the Tourism Master Plan to pave the way to secure funding for its implementation. The Minister said the Ministry participated in five International Conferences and Seminars to showcase Ghana's tourist products as well as adopting best practices for product development and packaging of Ghana's tourism.

She said during one of such joint committee meetings on co-operation in South Africa, Pretoria, Ghana signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of tourism between Ghana and South Africa. Ms Dansua said the Ministry with funding from JICA (Japanese Government) has begun the construction of a-state-of-the-art one-stop shop to ensure efficient tourism info rmation dissemination to all tourists who come to Accra.

"Two new tourist receptive facilities are also under construction at Axim and Kpetoe at various stages of development. The two projects have employed 44 Ghanaian construction workers.

"In collaboration with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) - ST-EP Foundation, championed by Ambassador Dho Young Shim, the Korean Government has funded 93Thank You Small Libraries" in four deprived communities at Sempe cluster of schools at Mamprobi, Accra, Avatime-Vane, Ejisu, and Cape Coast," she said.

She said the Ministry with sponsorship from UNWTO ST-EP Foundation championed by Ambassador Dho Young Shim of South Korea has developed and mounted 10 93Discover Ghana" billboards at the entry and exit points in the Central, Greater Accra and Volta regions to enhance patronage of tourist sites in the regions, and the remaining 39 would be mounted later.

On domestic tourism, the Minister said the Ministry has initiated moves to resolve the management issue at La Pleasure Beach -the most patronized beach in Ghana to ensure that is sustainably developed while addressing sanitation, crime and drug abuse, and security breaches.

Ms Dansua said the Ministry has also initiated action to reposition Hotel, Catering and Tourism Training Centre (HOTCATT) as a basic hospitality training institution to ensure quality service delivery and professionalism in the industry.

She said the last batch at GIMPA have written their examinations and management was asked not to admit new batch of students until they resolve the issue of whether the tourism Ministry should continue to manage it or transfer it to the Ministry of Education.

"Hopefully, by early next, we will resume admission of new batch of students but for now, I will say that HOTCATT is in transition," she said.

The Minister announced that the Ministry was engaging the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to encourage the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to incorporate tourism development in their annual plans and budget.

"We are also collaborating with the Ministry to facilitate land acquisition for private investment in tourism facilities in the districts, provide some basic infrastructure to enhance access to tourist sites and include tourism promotion in the Legislative Instrument (LI) that is being prepared on the new of Local Government Service Act," she added.

Ms Dansua mentioned poor marketing and low awareness about tourism, high air Fares and other Tourism Services, under developed tourism products, lack of entertainment/ recreational facilities and inadequate trained human resources as some of the challenges facing the sector.

She said prospects for the tourism industry were very bright and called on social partners especially, the media to support activities, programmes and events on the tourism calendar to create awareness on the sector.

Currently, tourism is the fourth highest foreign exchange earner after Gold, Cocoa and remittances in Ghana. Last year, it generated 1.8 billion dollars, about 6.2 per cent of Ghana's Gross Domestic Product.