Accra, March 23, GNA - The United Nation's World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Secretary General, Taleb Rifai has pledged technical and financial support for tourism development in Ghana. The support will focus on gender empowerment in tourism and technical support for the management of tourism receptive facilities. A statement issued in Accra from the tourism Ministry on Wednesday said the organisation had also accepted Ghana's proposal to help in the promotion of regional tourism fairs within the West Africa Sub-Region as a way of branding the region to make it more competitive to tourists and investors.

It said the UNWTO Secretary General made this known during a meeting with the sector Minister of Tourism; Ms Akua Sena Dansua, at the 93Ghana Stand" during the just ended International Tourism Exhibition and Economic Convention 2011 in Berlin, Germany. Mr Rifai acknowledged Ghana's tourism potential and the need for the sector to be given significant financial and technical support by government and development partners. He said 93Ghana's Tourism sector had the capacity to generate more foreign exchange earnings and create employment opportunities to achieve the country's development agenda". The UNWTO Head used the occasion to formally invite the Minister to visit UNWTO Offices in Madrid, Spain to appraise herself of the organisation's work, and to finalise discussions on areas of possible support for Ghana's tourism development. Ms Dansua expressed Ghana's commitment to collaborate effectively with the UNWTO to develop tourism in Ghana. She commended the organisation for its immense assistance to Ghana over the years and expressed the hope that the long standing relationship would be sustained.