The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) is set to participate in the upcoming 42nd Vakantiebeurs in Utrecht Holland from 10-15 January 2012.

The Vakantiebeurs, which is an annual event in the Netherlands, is a combined consumer and trade fair for tourism, organized by VNU Exhibitions Europe. The event has been running for over three decades and has grown to become the largest consumer holiday fair in the world. Vakantiebeurs offers a perfect platform for promoting destinations tourist product to consumers.

This is the first of the selected International fairs this year that the GTA will be participating to showcase Ghana’s unique historical, cultural, ecological attractions and conference facilities. Ghana’s attire, cuisine and traditional dances will feature at the stand to attract potential visitors especially those from the Scandinavia.

The GTA also hopes its participation will help encourage Dutch tour operators to highlight Ghana in their tour circuits by providing them with publicity and promotional materials and competitive tour packages on regular basis. This fair will also afford Ghana the opportunity to inform and sensitize investors about investment incentives and opportunities available in the tourism sector.

Ghana’s participation has over the years been facilitated by the Dutch Centre for Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries, CBI. It will be recalled that, since 2005, Ghana has been participating at the Event with support from the CBI. This is due to Ghana’s impressive showings at the event.

In a related development, the GTA will also participate in the Spanish International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) scheduled for the 18th-23rd January 2012 in Madrid, Spain. The Authority intends to market Ghana as the most preferred tourist destination in Africa to the European market.

FITUR is a meeting point for tourism professionals, who meet to establish lines of action, strategies and business alliances to energize and consolidate tourism business, globally.

Tourism promotion agencies, operators, hotels, travel agencies, consultants and experts in International tourism management and development will also be present in Madrid for the fair.