Madam Tangoba Abayage, the Upper East Regional Minister, has called on the youth in the Region to preach peace as the country prepares towards the December 7, 2020, general elections.

She made the call at the Upper East Regional Tourism Awards night, which saw a lot of attendees from various districts across the Region.

Madam Tangoba urged Ghanaians to employ every available avenue to preach peace as it was the only way to ensure that the country remained stable before, during, and after the election.

"Ghana is the only country we have and should therefore not allow anything to destabilize our peace," she said.

Mr Henry Yeleduor, the Upper East Regional Manager, Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), said the regional tourism awards night was an annual event to reward deserving industry practitioners and stakeholders who had demonstrated excellence and commitment towards the growth and development of the industry.

He said the event also aimed at affording industry players the opportunity to meet and network with potential clients as they continued to strive for excellence.

Mr Yeleduor said this year's theme: "Growing Tourism beyond the Return", alluded to the success chalked by the Year of Return programme, which was initiated by government in 2019.

He said the Region received people from the diaspora who visited some communities in the area, as part of the Year of Return programme and was hopeful that some benefits would begin to accrue from such engagements.

Mr Yeleduor called on the hospitality industry players to inculcate the habit of quality services as it was an element for sustainable development and success in their businesses.

The Regional Manager lamented over the negative impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry and urged members to continue to observe and enforce the safety protocols to protect lives.