International travel writers laud Ghana's tourist sites
International Travel Writers on tour of parts of the country on
Thursday lauded Ghana as the true gateway to Africa, citing the rich
history, varied cultures, hospitality of the people and the tourism
sites in the country.
The travel writers, numbering 12, drawn
from the UK, USA, Canada, Denmark, The Netherlands, Germany, Russia,
Spain and Italy, together with local journalists and officials of the
Ministry of Tourism and some tourism students, are currently touring
parts of the country, as part of the on-going UN World Tourism Day.
The
seven-day celebration, from September 21 - September 27, is on the
theme: "Tourism Celebrating Diversity." The visit of the international
travel writers was under the auspices of the UN World Tourism
Organisation (UNWTO) and Tourism Ministry. In separate interviews with
the Ghana News Agency, four of the travel writers said their experience
in Ghana so far was beyond what they expected.
Ms. Alla
Peressolova, Fair and Communications Assistant Officer from the UNWTO
and leader of the delegation said "my expectation has been greatly
exceeded by what I have seen and experienced so far". "The regional
tourism potential here is fantastic because the people are very
friendly, the culture is rich and beautiful and the history is unique,"
she said.
She said Ghana was definitely a great tourism
destination and good investment environment, adding that there was need
to improve the overall national infrastructure and roads in particular
to ensure that the country reaped the full benefits of its tourism
potentials. Ms. Peressolova, praised the Coconut Groove Hotel for
serving exclusively locally cultivated rice, saying that "we enjoyed
the local rice and I think it is good for the rice business in the
country. Other hotels should do the same". She said she was also
impressed with the way the Asantes in particular had sustained their
culture and monarchy to the extent that till date the Asantehene still
commanded so much honour, authority and power.
"I felt special
when I shook the hands of the Asantehene. I think what he represents is
what makes the Asante Kingdom special," she said.
Mr. John Bell,
a Freelance Travel Journalist from the UK said Ghana was the greatest
introduction to the rest of Africa, adding that the country represented
the essence of Africa without all the trouble associated with the
people.
He noted that British school history books only talked
about two wars between the Asantes and the British colonialists, in
which the British won, "but it is interesting to learn that there were
hundreds of wars in which the British lost to the Asantes." Mr. Bell
said the manner in which the rich history of the Asantes is interwoven
into the culture and arts to tell the story of the Asantes was
particularly impressive. "For me, seeing the Kingdom sit in state and
judge cases was special and seeing how the beautiful wood carvings are
done is also impressive," he said.
He called for a consolidation
of the tourist attractions to ensure a full benefit to the country. Mr.
Bell said the target should ensure that tourists come, look and buy and
not just to see and go.
"Some of us are not too happy when we
are called tourists because tourists are people who just come and see,
but we want to be called 'guests' because we love to interact with the
people whiles we are here," he said.
Mr. Garry Marchant, a
Freelance Journalists, who writes for a magazine for up market
travellers, said he felt terrible about the history of the slave trade,
knowing that "my forefathers treated Africans like objects and not like
fellow humans."
He said he had learnt the history of Ghana from
books but the books did not come across to him like the direct
interaction with the Cape Coast Castle, Elmina Castle and the Manhyia
Palace.
Mr. Marchant said for him the monarchy of the Asante
Kingdom epitomises how society functions in Africa, adding that it was
special to see what power the Asantehene wielded in the 21st Century.
Mr. Nick Easen, a freelance Journalist and Consultant for a number of
publications in the UK said the castles and the history of slavery they
represented was unique for Ghana, adding that other African countries
had rich culture and beaches like Ghana does, but Ghana could
capitalise on its uniqueness to become the best tourism destination on
the continent.
He noted that hospitality, the political
environment characterised by good governance stability and security
were also pluses for Ghana as other tourism destinations on the
continent lacked a full complement of an attractive atmosphere for
tourists and investors like Ghana. "I will be telling my readers that
Ghana has everything else that the other African countries have, but
more hospitality, security, good governance and great castles," he said.
He
however admonished the managers of the tourism industry to be more
aggressive in the way they market the country's tourism potential,
saying that in Europe "we know a lot about tourist sites in South
Africa and Kenya but very little about Ghana even though Ghana has very
rich and unique attractions".
Asked how he felt about the slave
trade?, He said his forefathers were part of the British stock that
exploited Africa, so he shared the sentiments of Africans but did not
feel guilty for what the colonialist did.
The tour of the Asante
Region took the travel writers to Adawomase and Bonwire, both popular
Kente weaving suburbs of Kumasi and to Ntonso the home of Adinkra
symbols. 27 Sept. 09
