GNA – The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) in collaboration with Kids In Tourism (KIT), on Monday organised a tour dubbed, “An Accra city tour with the coach for children” to promote domestic tourism among children.
The tour which forms part of activities to commemorate this year’s United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Tourism Day, exposed the children to some tourist sites within the capital and also for them to know their way around Accra.
Nana Akua Afriyie, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of KIT, said the tour was to teach the children the history of Ghana and to expose them to the tourist attractions in Accra.
She said the KIT operated through clubs in schools and was currently in six regions,saying the tour was their first programme which would be done at least twice every month.
Nana Afriyie said the tour was also for the children to participate in the celebration of the World Tourism Day and fulfil the theme, ” Tourism for inclusive growth,” adding that it was their way of training the children to appreciate and accept culture and tourism as they grew to be good ambassadors.
Mr Kofi Atta Kakra Kusi, Corporate Affairs, Ghana Tourism Authority, said the Authority had embarked on the domestic tourism campaign to make Ghanaians appreciate tourism, saying, domestic tourism was important since it created opportunities for people to come together and also embrace their culture.
Mr Kusi added that bringing children together to tour the city was a way of making them understand tourism and visit various tourist attractions to learn their history, heritage and to have leisure away from their daily activities.
Miss Rebecca Obeng, a grade six student from Hills International School, said, “I have learnt a lot of history about the Gas, why the name James Town, the Forts and also known places in Accra that I have heard of”.
Some other children shared their excitement, thanked the GTA and KIT and asked for more of such programmes.
Children aged five years to thirteen years undertook the tour. It started from the Accra Tourist Information Centre through to Circle, Abossey Okai, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Bukom Arena, Korle Lagoon, Accra Recycling Centre, James Town, Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, Supreme Court, Art Centre, Black Star Square and Osu.
Every year, the World Tourism Day is celebrated on September 27. This year, the international event was held in Cote D’lvoire, on the theme, “Tourism for inclusive growth”. Ghana celebrated the day in the Volta Region.
GNA