Kwahu Easter: We’re Targeting $2.3bn Revenue This Year – Deputy Tourism Minister
Deputy Tourism Minister, Mark Okraku Mantey, has said government is targeting to rake in an amount of $2.3 billion in revenue for the year 2022.
According to him, the Kwahu festival including the paragliding was part of ways to meet this target.
He added that this forms part of measures to generate revenue domestically to boost the local economy.
“We welcome the rest of the world to visit Ghana. The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has a target of 2.3 billion US dollars for 2022. Activities such as [this festival] would play a major role in achieving this target. Every Ghanaian today I would urge you to support tourism. Everybody can be a beneficiary, whether you work at the hotel, a taxi driver. And that is why we are pushing to make tourism the number one contributor to GDP of Ghana,” the Deputy Tourism Minister said.
Mark Okraku Mantey said this during the launch of this year’s Kwahu Paragliding Festival on Odweanoma Mountain in the Eastern region.
Speaking at the same event, the Kwahu South Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Emmanuel Atta Ofori Snr, was optimistic the economy will soon rebound.
He was enthused about the fact that businesses will also rake in some money during this festive season to cover up for their losses during the peak of the global pandemic – coronavirus.
“Our local economy took a nosedive and the tourism industry was shocked by the absence of the Paragliding Festival due to COVID-19 pandemic. I am very excited that it is back. Indigenes and industry players’ businesses would get some revenue,” he said.
About Kwahu Easter festival
The Kwahu Easter Festival is held annually but was put on hold for two years during the peak of COVID-19 in Ghana.
After government eased the restrictions, people from all walks of life made it to the Eastern region, precisely Kwaku to have fun.
The paragliding, which is one of the major highlights of the Easter festival, according to the Ghana Tourism Authority is expected to generate more money to boost local tourism in Ghana.
Prior to the Easter celebration, hotels were fully booked.
Commercial vehicles also hiked their prices to cash in during this period.