President Akufo-Addo has urged Ghanaians to help promote tourism in the country with their greatest tourist attraction, their welcoming attitude.

Speaking at the State of the Nation’s Address, 2019, the president said, “our music, foods, clothes and our quintessential Akwaaba smile will make a visitor in our country come back again and again.”

However, he stressed the people have not made much effort to attract as many visitors to the country as they should, “considering how often Ghana is in the news usually for good reasons.’

“Yes, we have castles, waterfalls, dramatic mountain ranges and historical sites which have reduced people to strong emotions but the people of Ghana need to contribute to promoting tourism,” the President stated.

Akufo-Addo said the Tourism Ministry is making efforts to revamp many tourist sites in the country to boost the tourism sector through the ‘See Ghana, Eat Ghana, Wear Ghana and Feel Ghana’ campaigns.

“Elmina Heritage Bay, Axim Fort St. Antonio, Assin Manso Slave River, Tetteh Quarshie Cocoa Farm, Bunso Arboretum, Kintampo Water Falls, are undergoing upgrades,” he stated.

The President stated, the US$40 million grant approved by the World Bank will be used to support the Tourism Ministry and its agencies including upgrading the mentioned tourist facilities.

Again, the Hospitality Training Institute renovated and re-opened in July 2018, will help provide needed training in the hospitality and tourism sectors.

Based on these works towards the development of the tourism sector, the president urged Ghanaians to put in more efforts to attract tourists into our country.

He explained the people of Ghana should never forget that we all have a responsibility to make visitors to our country feel welcome.

“In this ‘Year of Return’, when we have invited the world to visit, I would urge each one of us to make a special effort to make a visit to our country a memorable one,” he added.