Accra, April 9, GNA - Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations will participate in a global exhibition to be held in China mid April this year as part of renewed efforts by the tourism industry to promote Ghana in the Asian country. The three-day China Outbound Travel and Tourism Market (COTTM) is held annually and provides platform for countries to showcase their potentials targeted at China's large and vibrant outbound Tourism market.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, Mrs Bridgette Katsriku, Chief Director at the Ministry, said it was the first time Ghana was participating in the fair and expressed optimism that the country would gain a lot from it.

She said in China, Mr Asamoah-Boateng would share information about Ghana and her potentials with other participants aimed at building stronger relations between the tourism sector and the Chinese industry. "The Chinese are traveling a lot these days and Ghana must take advantage of the market in that country to attract more tourists into our country," she said.

She recalled the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding that allowed Chinese to travel to Ghana for tourism purposes and said the Ministry wanted to take advantage of it to promote Ghana as a destination of choice to the Chinese.

"Many African countries are now getting interested in China and Ghana is no exception," she added.

Mrs Katsriku expressed concern about the lack of a national carrier to provide direct flights to many of the routes to our target markets including the Ghana-China route, but was hopeful that other airlines currently operating between China and Ghana would prove reliable and effectively support the promotional drive. Ghana's delegation will include 12 tour operators and hoteliers.