He asked that it effectively monitored and strengthened its supervision of the facilities so that the right things were done. He made the call, when he paid a visit to the Ashanti Regional Office of the GTA in Kumasi.

Mr. Assibey Antwi said the safety, health and security of people, who patronized the hotels and restaurants should never be sacrificed for profit.  He expressed discomfort with the situation where some of operators in the hospitality industry were operating without license and said that should not be allowed to continue.

The MCE indicated that tourism held enormous potential for the economy – generate revenue, create jobs and wealth for the people. It was therefore important that the GTA properly regulated the sector to boost the attraction and bring in more returns.

He spoke of the determination of the metropolitan assembly to forge stronger partnership with the Authority to develop tourist attraction sites across the city.   He indicated the readiness of the assembly to support train and build the capacity of the facility operators to deliver quality services.   Mr. Peter Achampong, Regional Manager of the GTA, said it was collaborating with some foreign investors and NGOs to boost the tourist attraction of the Bosomtwe Lake.

They were going to build bicycle routes, introduce cable cars and train the youth as tour guides, he added.  Mr. Assibey Antwi later interacted with the staff of the Centre for National Culture.  The Regional Director of the Centre, Mr. Barima Sakyi, announced plans to revive live cultural performances and concert in the metropolis.

The goal was to help unearth talents for the showbiz industry, saying renowned artistes including ‘Agya Koo’, were all spotted through such events.