The maiden Edition of the Ghana-EU Tourism & Investment Summit (GHETIS24) has been held in Paris, France.
A private-public collaboration, it sought to promote Ghana’s tourism sector as well as other viable sectors for investment and was held at various locations in the French capital from March 6 to March 8.
As celebration of Ghana’s 67th Independence Day celebration unfolded in different parts of the world on March 6, the occasion in Paris, France took on a special flavour as it coincided with the start of GHETIS24
As tourism formed a big part of discussions at GHETIS24, there were opportunities for those directly related to the sector to express opinions, assess current situations and make projections for the future.
Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture, Mr. Mark Okraku Mantey at different times during GHETIS24, enumerated areas that could do with fresh investment in the tourism arena and the
benefits that could accrue from such inflows.
He gave figures to indicate that tourism was on an upward swing in Ghana, explaining that everything was being done to positively explore the existing rich natural, cultural, heritage and historical resources which abound in the country.
The Deputy Minister roped in the Year of Return and the Beyond the Return initiatives and stated they had helped revitalize Ghana’s tourism sector and also projected the country significantly as a destination of choice for discerning tourists.
To him, though we were already into tourism, 2019 showed we could become better at it. Though COVID kicked in, the people who had come went back to talk about Ghana and the results showed later, he added.
He pointed out that opportunities abound for investment in many different areas of tourism in Ghana. He mentioned events planning and management, music and film production, record labels, streaming of audio-visual material, hospitality training schools and establishment of regional theatres as some of those areas and that interested investors were invited to partner with local entities.
“I believe in Ghana full-time. I have lived in Ghana all my life. This is my first time in France. I say it is a beautiful country because I have lived there all my life. When we step out of Ghana, some us are not too proud of the place but we owe the people of Ghana and the God who positioned us in Ghana a duty to say good things about Ghana,” the Deputy Minister declared.
Music star, Samini, was part of the delegation to Paris. He emphasized the need for investment in music production and other sections of the creative arts so artistes could concentrate fully and create worthwhile works.
GHETIS24 was produced by Maxine Reindorf-Partey and Verus Nartey, the respective CEOs of Ghana Invest and Made In Ghana Consulting Ltd for the Destination Ghana Global Project (DGGP).
It was organized in partnership with the Ghana Embassy in France; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration; Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture; Ministry of Trade & Industry; Obokese Foundation with support from the French Embassy in Ghana and sponsored by various partners.
