ASANTEHENE TO HELP BOOST TOURISM (PAGE 34, MIRROR, FEB 13, 2010)

From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi.

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has pledged to be at the forefront of creating the needed awareness on the tourism potential of the Ashanti Region to help encourage both local and foreign tourists to visit the tourist centres.
This, he said, would not only boost the industry for it to generate the required resources to support sustainable socio-economic development, but would also create job opportunities for the youth who reside within the catchment area of the tourist centres.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu also pledged to use his influence to woo investors to invest more in the industry by way of building more hotels to accommodate tourists who flock into the region.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu gave the assurance in response to a request made by the executive of the Tour Operators Union of Ghana (TOUG) who paid a courtesy call on him at the Manhyia Palace.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu said tourists spent much money when they visited tourists centres leading to a boost in commerce, thereby reducing poverty among the youth and improving the standard of living among them.
He also expressed concern about the high cost of hotel bills in the region and said with the development of more hotels, the hostel rates would reduce to encourage as many people as possible to enjoy such facilities.
The visit, according to the President of the TOUG, Mr Gordon Adoboe, was to introduce the newly elected executive members of the TOUG to the Asantehene, who is the life patron of the union.
It was also meant to seek support from the Asantehene to use his influence to create awareness of the tourism potential in the region as a way of boosting the industry.
The members expressed concern about the inadequate hotels in the region in spite of its tourism potential and said this undermined the effective growth of the industry.
Mr Adoboe said the Ashanti regional branch of the union was almost dormant and said with the support of the Asantehene, the union would be revived to enable them to initiate programmes that would facilitate the growth of the industry.
Mr Adoboe noted that the Ashanti Region had a big role to play so far as the development of the industry was concerned and pledged to collaborate with the regional branch for them to create the needed awareness among the public.
Among the members of TOUG who visited the Asantehene were the President, Mr Gordon Adoboe; Mrs Bridget Markwei, Vice-President; Mrs Nancy Sam, Financial Secretary; Ms Naa Oye Offei–Aryeh, General Secretary; Mrs Adelaide Pinto, Deputy General Secretary; Nii Baddoo, Executive Member; Mr Kwaku Passah, Executive Member, and Ms Frema Owusu, Public Relations Officer.
Some membears of the Ashanti Regional Tourists Board who accompanied the TOUG to visit the Asantehene were the Acting Regional Manager, Mr Ekow Sampson; Mr Mathew Osei Prempeh, who is the Quality Assurance Manager, and Mr Charles Buabeng, the Marketing Manager.