Kumasi, Sept 21, GNA - Mr Ekwow Sampson, acting Ashanti Regional Manager of the Ghana Tourist Board (GTB), has said 80,604 women were employed in the tourism sector in the region last year. He said the figure represented 44 per cent of the total that stands at 497,129 people employed in the sector nationwide within the same period. He said women who were employed engaged mostly in the arts, craft, and hotel and catering sectors of the tourism industry.

Mr. Sampson was speaking at a symposium organized by the GTB for identifiable women groups in the region in Kumasi on Thursday. The event formed part of activities marking this year's Tourism Day held on the theme, "Tourism opens doors for women"

He said it was heart warming that most women were getting employed in the tourism sector and that last year's figure showed a significant increase over almost the 75,000 women employed in the sector in 2005. He appealed to the banks and other financial institutions to support women entrepreneurs in the tourism industry.

Mr. Samuel Adjei, Director for the Centre for National culture (CNC) in Kumasi, urged women entrepreneurs to continually upgrade their knowledge to boost their contribution to the development of tourism.