Creative arts enthusiast, Amandzeba Fiifi Smith says he panicked after the Minister-designate for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Awal, projected an inflow of $5-billion within his first two years in office when given the nod.
The creative arts enthusiast admitted the tourism sector has the potential to generate lots of revenue but believes the projection of the Minister-designate cannot happen in the given timeframe because of the impact of COVID-19
“It is true the tourism sector has the potential and can make the money the Minister-designate is saying, but I panicked when I heard the billion attached to the figure. Over the years, we have collected data from the tourism sector and we can look at how much we have been making from the tourism sector annually. By doing so, one will realize the amount cannot be gained in two years.
We all know that travelling and the influx of tourists boosts the sector but amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, travelling has reduced and if you make a $5 billion projection, that is an over-ambitious statement. I am not sure his target will be achieved”, he disclosed.
The Minister-designate for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Mohammed Ibrahim Awal, has outlined plans to increase revenue from the sector to $6 billion within the next three years.
Currently, data from the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) indicates that the sector contributed $1 billion to the economy last year, with global projections indicating that the figure could increase to $1.2 billion by the close of the year.
The Minister-designate, who made an ambitious $5-billion projection of inflow within his first two years in office when given the nod, insisted that it was very possible, considering the fact that the country raked in $3.3 billion in 2019 due to the Year of Return initiative.
Dr Awal was, therefore, confident that initiatives such as the ‘Year of Return’ and ‘Beyond the Return’, a further improvement of tourist sites and Ghana’s arts and culture would help achieve that target.
