Over 500 tourism stakeholders worldwide are expected to participate in the International Tourism Investment Forum (ITIF) scheduled to take place at the Accra International Conference Centre from July 26th to August 1st this year.

 

 

The week–long event is under the theme: “Ghana –Time to explore, the role of the investor in the tourism sector."

 

Launching it in Accra, Mr. George Aboagye, Chief Executive officer (CEO) of GIPC, said the ITIF will seek to address the role of the investor in harnessing the investment potentials in the tourism sector.

 

Additionally, the delegates, comprising government officials, policy makers, corporate executives, potentials investors from both local and international markets as well as practitioners will discuss issues concerning tourism and how to position Ghana as a preferred tourist destination.

 

He said tourism is one of the government’s priority sectors for investment and the third largest foreign exchange earner.

 

Mr. Aboagye said tourism continues to be one of the most important and rapidly growing sectors of the Ghanaian economy and attracts nearly one million tourists annually.

 

He said the forum will also explore the future developments in tourism investment, where they will come from, where they will go and what new strategies should be adopted.

 

“New opportunities and challenges, domestic tourism promotion, development of e-tourism and how tourism Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), can be used to promote sustainable development will also be other areas the forum will explore,” Mr. Aboagye said.

 

The GIPC boss said the ITIF will provide excellent networking opportunities and roundtable sessions to discuss public private partnerships.

 

He said an exhibition will also be organised as part of the forum to showcase the potentials in the industry as well as to expose activities that had been undertaken to promote tourism in Ghana.

 

Mr. Aboagye said domestic and international tourism will be given the desired attention by all key players and collaborative efforts offered to the sector to ensure its full development for a better Ghana at the end of the event.