The MoU, which forms part of the strategies adopted by the
government through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture,is targeting about
$5 billion annually as proceeds from the industry and two million tourists as
well.
The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr. Ibrahim
Mohammed Awal, yesterday signed the MoU on behalf of the government in Accra,
while MarCassanovaLlorene,in charge of
International Affairs for Incyde Foundation, signed for the people of
Spain.
Present at the signing were a delegation from the Spanish
Embassy in Ghana, led by the Ambassador, Mr Javier Gutierrez; the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Mr Mark
Okraku Mantey, and directors at the
Ministry.
Dr Awal said tourism was adynamic economic sector which had
the potential to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth in the country.
He said Spain had a population of 40 million with about 80
million tourists visiting the country
yearly, adding, “Ghana is committed to learning from their experiences to boost
our tourism industry.”
“About 120,000 people in the catering services, hotel
industry, arts and other services that play major roles in advancing the
tourism industry will be trained to equip their skills and knowledge through
workshops and forums.
“Ministry, through some of these strategies, is expecting to
build a vibrant industry to generate revenue and create jobs,” Dr Awal said.
Madam Llorene saidIncyde Foundation was the foundation of
all chambers of commerce in Spain, which represent the private sector in the
country.
She said the foundation had been working for the past 20
years supporting businesses to compete on the international market, and
expressed the belief that the agreement
was an opportunity for Ghanaian businesses to build their capacity.
“Tourism is a key sector in the development of economic
successes. Spain has a lot of expertise to add some value to that of Ghana, as
Spain is the second country in the world with about 80 million annual
visitors,” she said