The third edition of the Youth in Tourism Festival, an initiative of the Tourism Society of Ghana(TOSOGHA), has been launched in Accra.

To be held in June 2022 on the theme: “The Youth, Tourism and Sanitation,” the festival seeks to gather the youth in various tourism endeavours to learn, exhibit talents and share ideas.

The week-long festival will include a range of interactive activities and also involve leading personalities who will share their experiences around tourism and areas such as creative arts, tourism promotion and education.

Launching the festival Wednesday, Mr George Nana Kankam, Acting Director, Tourism Directorate, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, said the theme for the celebration was timely as sanitation and tourism worked hand-in-hand.

He noted that the adverse impact of poor sanitation was affecting tourism, and that it was time the menace was addressed, adding that the cause pursued by TOSOGAH to ensure effective youth participation towards the desirable internal tourism development was a holistic plan to sustain tourism from grassroots.

“The initiative falls directly in line with the policy of the government in securing the total development of Ghanaians from the grassroots,” Mr Kankam said.

Mr BenardBengab, Dean of Student Affairs, University of Education, Winneba, said for tourism to succeed, issues of sanitation should be prioritised saying “we are not seeing the effect of what we are doing to the environment by littering indiscriminately and we have polluted the environment so much it is difficult to predict the future.”

He indicated the university was ready to partner with organisations to begin the nurturing of the young people towards a more sustainable environment.

Mr Joseph ArmahAmartey, Executive Director, TOSOGHA, disclosed that the festival would allow young participants to be part of a unique experience to promote youth engagement in the tourism sector.

He added that the festival would also promote regular programme of student exchanges to give opportunities to young people from different backgrounds to foster inter cultural learning, as well as promote domestic tourism among them.

FROM BENEDICTA GYIMAAH FOLLEY