The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) is to assist Ghana develop an innovation- led tourism strategy to help transform the country’s tourism sector.

The support will make Ghana a competitive tourism destination in Africa.

The strategy will help empower the youth, create opportunities for operators in the tourism sector and drive economic development.

This was the outcome of a meeting between the Secretary- General of UNWTO, Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili and the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal at the UNWTO headquarters in Madrid, Spain.

A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, on Monday, in Accra, said Dr. Awal briefed the Secretary- General and other officials of the UNWTO about efforts government was making to revitalise the tourism sector, which had been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He noted that over 70 per cent of businesses in the tourism sector in the country had been affected, with its attendant effect on jobs and livelihoods.

The Sector Minister, therefore, called for close collaboration between the UNWTO and Ghana to ensure a speedy resuscitation of the sector.

Dr Awal, who was accompanied by Ghana’s Ambassador to Spain, Mr. Muhammed Adam, said his target was to make the tourism sector the number one contributor to Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2024.

He said the strategy was to use the promotion of domestic and regional tourism to achieve the target.

The Secretary-General of the UNWTO, Mr. Pololikashvili said the revitalisation of the global tourism sector was crucial to job creation and expressed his Organization’s willingness to partner Ghana to improve the country’s tourism sector.