Mrs Ofosu-Adjare said this during the National Celebration of the World Tourism Day held on the theme: “Tourism for all, Promoting Universal Accessibility”, at Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo Region.

The World Tourism Day is to foster awareness on the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value. The event seeks to address global challenges outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and to highlight the contribution the tourism sector can make in reaching these goals.

Mrs Ofosu-Adjare said the theme provides Ghanaians with the opportunity to reflect on the urgent need to ensure accessibility to the country’s tourist attractions. She said according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation data, 15 per cent of the World’s population is estimated to be living with some form of disability.

Mrs Ofosu-Adjare expressed the hope that ageing population in Ghana would benefit from the universal accessibility in tourism. She said with this year’s event, the Ministry was partnering with the Savannah Development Authority (SADA) to organise the 2016 World Tourism Day dubbed “World Tourism Day SADAFEST 2016”.

The Minister said the idea behind the partnership was to use the celebration to focus on unearthing the tourism and economic potential of the SADA Zone with ultimate goal of directing tourist traffic to the Zone as well as showcasing the Zone’s investment opportunities.  

She urged all stakeholders especially tour operators and hospitality service providers to offer special attractive packages for Ghanaians to patronize tourist sites and hospitality facilities across the country.