By Justina Paaga, GNA
Takoradi Oct 7, GNA - There was a massive turnout for this year's Aviation and Tourism Conference held in Takoradi in the Western Region.
The conference on theme, "Investing in the Aviation and Tourism sectors for sustainable socio-economic development", was jointly organised by the Western Regional Coordinating Council and GH-Aviation.
It was attended by stakeholders from the Aviation and Tourism sectors who turned out in their numbers to participate in the two-day conference addressed by more than 20 speakers with diverse expertise in the sectors.
The two-day conference had Programmes such as panel discussions on knowledge sharing their knowledge, experience, and guidance on various ways to position the two critical sectors for national development.
There was also a tour of the oil city, an outreach programme at Archbishop Porter Girls Senior High School and a reception held at the Western Regional Minister's residence.
The participants had the opportunity to visit the Monkey Sanctuary in the heart of Takoradi, to catch a glimpse of monkeys jumping from tree to tree in broad day light.
They also visited the Axim Beach Resort, where they had the feel of a serene atmosphere connecting the sandy beach and the sea breeze among others.
Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko -Mensah, Western Regional Minister, who officially opened the conference admonished players of the two sectors to collaborate effectively in carrying out programmes and projects capable of projecting the mass tourist sites in the Western Region and across the country.
The Minister who is also the Member of Parliament for Takoradi Constituency urged the participants to take advantage of the tourism potentials in the region and invest in specific sectors they deemed suitable as business operators.
Mr Darko-Mensah described the geographical position of the region as "appetising and inviting" enough to stimulate tourists, and potential investors looking for suitable investment destinations.
He appealed to the participants to endeavor to visit interesting sites to learn, feel and enjoy the best from Western Region.
Mr Darko-Mensah said it was timely and appropriate to organise the conference in the region to share with the world the beautiful side of Ghana's richest region.
He explained that tourism could be developed in the country sufficiently for the government to continue to rake in revenue.
This, he said, could only be achieved following an effort to create the required volume of tourists, traffic in the aviation industry in Ghana, among other factors that could help the nation record high numbers through decent activities that tourists would like to see, observe, feel, and experience, and would definitely want to hit the shores of Ghana.
The Chief Executive Officer of GH-Aviation, organising partners of the event, Mrs Elizabeth Twumwaa Sasu, for her part , established the core objective behind the organisation of the event.
She explained that the annual Avia-Tour Conference, initiated last year, was to bring industry players from the two sectors together to brainstorm and share ideas as to how to work together and streamline activities in the country.
Mrs Sasu further explained that tourism could be developed alongside the Aviation industry in Ghana, to create synergies, and guarantee the required traffic, that would assist in transforming the two sectors in the country.
She said an effective Tourism and Aviation sectors, could expand the national economy of the country, create opportunities and ultimately make available jobs for the teeming unemployed youth of the country.
The CEO however noted that, if the two sectors remained disconnected, Ghana would continue to lose revenue.
A number of topics including; "Government’s role in stimulating the growth of air services and tourist sites to promote tourism in Ghana, Building capacities and enhancing community contribution for inclusive sustainable tourism, "Investing in the Aviation and Tourism sectors for sustainable socio-economic development, Open skies and relevant to tourism development and Bridging the gap between Aviation and Tourism were discussed at the conference.
Other activities lined up for the conference include;, exhibition, meetings and networking session and gala and awards night, which was organised to celebrate hard working youth activists initiating policies, programmes and projects to promote the two sectors.
GNA
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