Accra, May 5, GNA - Golden Face of Ghana, a project aimed at developing and promoting safe and responsible domestic and international tourism in Ghana, would be launched b y the Ghana Association of Travel and Tourists (GATTA) this year.

Mr Godwin Pinto, President of GATTA, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview on Friday that the project would also help to develop and promote tourism sites and products to increase opportunities for wealth creation in host communities.

Mr Pinto said: "The potential elements of minerals, arts, crafts, dance, music, architecture, clothing and cuisine; the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and colonization as the Gold Coast; the contemporary history of our independence struggles and self-government; the unique flora and fauna, landforms and scenic features of our beautiful land need to be enhanced for tourism."

He said GATTA would facilitate the development and promotion of selected products for an initial period of two years. "As a trade association, GATTA is also motivated by Government's policy and the vision of the Ministry of Tourism and Diaspora Relations of making tourism one of the four priority sectors in poverty reduction."

Tourism is capable of providing secondary income earning opportunities for the economically vulnerable in society, including the unskilled youth, subsistent farmers and fishermen, Mr Pinto said. Mr. Pinto, who is also the Executive Director of Connect World Travel and Tours, said selected tourism products should impact on the population at large.

He said GATTA believed that tourism experiences were personal and a true social phenomenon.

"Encounters during travel provide lifetime images and impressions for each person involved, which also promote cross-cultural exchanges and respect for other cultures.

"It is for these reasons that GATTA is seeking public, private sector, local and international partners to assist." Mr Pinto urged corporate organizations and individuals to support the project and help promote Ghana as the preferred tourist destination.