Tafi-Atome Hosts Tourism Day

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri
THE TAFI-ATOME community in the Hohoe municipality of the Volta region will on September 27 mark World Tourism Day to commemorate the symbiotic relationship between tourism and culture. The day set aside by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), is aimed at highlighting ways by which tourism could be used as a vehicle to promote peaceful co-existence and mutual trust among people with diverse cultural/ethnic backgrounds and orientations. This year’s celebration is under the theme “Tourism: Linking Cultures.” Prince Boakye-Boateng, Director of Public Relations at the Tourism Ministry said in a statement that regional celebrations will be held nationwide with the national event taking place at the Tafi-Atome Monkey Sanctuary in the Hohoe municipality. Outlining highlights of the event, Boakye-Boateng said they “include a tour of tourist attraction sites with the Kpando/Hohoe circuit on Saturday, September 24. The celebration will be climaxed by a grand durbar at Tafi-Atome on Tuesday, September 27, 2011.” He added that a traditional Gastronomy (food fair), arts and crafts exhibition and cultural performance will also be held to showcase the unique cultural heritage of Ghana. Minister of Tourism, Akua Sena Dansua also in the statement called on corporate Ghana and individuals to support the event. “We invite Ghanaians, especially policy makers, stakeholders in the industry and potential investors to take time off their work schedules to take part in the celebration so as to appreciate the potential benefit of the sector and national economy.” She said the tourism sector contributed GH¢1.8 billion to the national economy, an equivalent of 6.2% of the Gross Domestic Product for the previous year, and if given the needed attention and capital injection, “tourism can become the number one and most sustainable foreign exchange earner for the country.”