A government official on Friday noted that the fast growing tourism industry in the country, needed financial assistance from the sector ministry to grow.

The sector earned 519.57 million dollars last year from 482,642 tourists who visited the country, making it the second biggest foreign exchange earner for the country.

Those in the sector, therefore, need money to develop it, Mr Ferdinand Ayim, Special Assistant to the Minister of Tourism and Beautification of Accra, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra.

"It is difficult for the hotels, restaurants and others in the private sector in the industry to access loans from financial institutions," Mr Ayim said.

He said the industry had directly and indirectly employed about 115,000 people thus increasing employment in the country.

He said tourism was mainly a "private sector facilitator and was among the fastest growing sectors in the whole world and Ghana was no exception".

He said the ministry hoped some one million tourists would arrive in the country by 2007 and this calls for increased awareness.

Mr Ayim said the ministry required more funds to enable it to operate effectively.