•Over 20 West Africans honoured at event
•Ghanaian tourism minister decries slow growth
The taste of the pudding is in the eating.
To publicise to Ghanaians and woo them to the biggest street party in Africa in Cross River State, the Carnival Calabar train became the centre of attraction at the maiden edition of Accra Weizo opened by Ghana’s Tourism, Culture & Creative Arts Minister, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare.
The event was held at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel Accra, Ghana.
Carnival Calabar “queens” perform before travel and tourism stakeholders and the general public who were captivated by the energy the ladies demonstrated in their dances.
The event encouraged stakeholders to work together to have a stronger and vibrant sub regional tourism.
Ofosu-Adjare berated Africa for lagging behind in tourism development and urged stakeholders to take collective decisions to transform the fortunes of tourism on the continent, particularly in West Africa.
“The latest UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) barometer on international tourism sees the sub region as the least attracted destination within the African sub region, lagging behind the other regions in Africa,” she said.
“Africa itself gets just 53 million tourists out of over one billion global tourists. This is just a mere 5 per cent of the global receipt. This is poor for a continent of over one billion people.
“We owe it a duty to use our comparative advantages to help shape the tourism industry in the sub region. So you can imagine how badly West Africa is doing compared to global standards.
“Regional tourism can help improve tourist arrivals and in effect create the necessary employment for the teeming youth in West Africa.
“With a population of over 300 million people, lovely beaches, rich culture and breathtaking destinations West Africa can drive continental growth in tourism and trade.”
Ofosu-Adjare commended Uko for organising the event in Ghana, recalling that she had asked him at the World Travel Market in London to organise an event in Accra as Ghanaian tourism stakeholders always support his events in Nigeria.
“Now we have Accra Weizo we expect a bigger and better event next year.”
She appreciated the presence of “the world famous Carnival Calabar queens” in their first parade in Ghana. “I am told that Carnival Calabar is Africa’s largest street party with over two million participants every December. Ghana will soon be launching its own event.”
The ambassadors were at the event to showcase and drive tourism to Calabar, and they gave participants a feel of what to expect at the Carnival Calabar in December 2015.
Attendees also included Gabe Onah (Chairman of the Carnival Calabar Committee); Senator Florence Ita-Giwa; Nkereuwem Onug (Chairman of Remlords Tours and Car Hire Services), Cross Rivers State Deputy Governor, Ivara Esu.
During the event, 20 West African personalties who have accomplished legacy projects in the region were honoured for their impact on tourism promotion, aviation, hospitality, conservation, transport, and travel business.
Among the awardees are Ofosu-Adjare; Arik Air boss, Joseph Arumemi-Ikhide; La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Wanle Akinboboye; Kasapreko founder; Kwabena Adjei; and Nigeria Railway Corporation Managing Director, Adeseyi Sijuade.
Others include publisher of Ghana-based celebrity magazine Ovation, Dele Momodu; Gambian real estate developer, Mustapha Njie; and Ghana-based Nigerian movie maker, Theo Akatugba.
This event had sponsors and partners from companies from across the travel and tourism industry in West Africa and beyond.
Among them are ABC Transport, Africa World Airlines, NANTA, South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Radisson Blu Krakow, La Palm Hotel and Resort, Ghana Tourism Board, IATA, Carnival Calabar, Holiday Inn Accra Airport, HRG, GCAN, IT TOG, and atqnews.com.
