The acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority( GTA), Mr Akwesi Agyeman, who launched the paragliding festival in Accra yesterday, said as a first step, the ministry and its stakeholders would conduct safety audits of all tourist sites across the country.

The three-day National Paragliding Festival is scheduled to take place at the Odweanoma Mountain at Atibie, Kwahu, in the Eastern Region from April 14 to 16, 2017.

Activities to mark the festival include hiking, biking and paragliding expeditions. Seasoned pilots from Japan the United States of America (USA) and Germany are expected in the country to fly passengers.

Mr Agyeman said managers of the festival would secure public liability insurance for all paragliders.

Security and safety

The GTA boss said the authority was collaborating with the security agencies, the Ghana Ambulance Service, the Ghana Metrological Agency and other relevant stakeholders to ensure maximum safety and security during the 2017 celebration.

He submitted that the 2017 edition of the festival would be used to usher paragliding as an all-year-round activity.

“Over the years, the interest and participation in paragliding in Ghana has been growing appreciably and, therefore, we want to give the opportunity to interested persons to paraglide at their convenient times,” Mr Agyeman said.

He called on the media to collaborate with the GTA and the sector ministry to promote the festival and tourism in general to attract more tourists to boost the economy.

Minister

The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ms Catherine Afeku, in a speech read on her behalf, said she would collaborate with all stakeholders to build on the foundation provided by her predecessors to shape a more robust national tourism industry.

“We will together maximise Ghana’s tourism potential to enhance the sector’s contribution to the economy,” she said, adding that the well-being of tourists would be at the centre of any decision-making process.

Paragliding

The festival has been instituted as a national event to offer tourists the opportunity to visit many sites within the region.

Paragliding is an aviation sport that is enjoyed by hundreds of people around the world and very popular in Europe where there are an estimated 400,000 pilots for the sport.

While in flight, the pilot remains in a sitting position inside a harness hanging below the canopy. Most modern harnesses include a reserve parachute, which may be deployed in case of emergency.

The paraglider is launched from a hillside or towed by a winch and is kept aloft by a ram-air aerofoil canopy and steered by using vertical riser lines attached to the chute.

Ghana tourism

Ghana is a richly endowed country in sub-Saharan Africa blessed with dozens of historical monuments and tourist sites.

The country’s year-round tropical warm climate along with its wildlife; exotic waterfalls such as the Kintampo Waterfalls,as well as the largest waterfall in West Africa, the Tagbo Falls; Ghana’s coastal palm-lined sandy beaches; caves; mountains; meteorite impact craters and lakes such as Lake Bosumtwi make Ghana the place to be.

Ghana is also home to the largest lake in the world by surface area – the Lake Volta, dozens of castles and forts, nature reserves and national parks.

Tourism is a significant contributor to economic growth and development in Ghana; a major source of foreign exchange, employment and government revenues.