The Group Chairman of Kencity Media limited, Hon Kennedy Ohene Àgyapong was among 18 distinguished personalities who received honorary awards at this year’s National Tourism awards night held in Accra.
The Assin Central Member of Parliament was recognized and honored as the Outstanding Personality in the fight against covid -19.
The 2020 National Tourism Awards sought to reward their impactful contribution to the tourism sector, encourage a stronger rebound of tourism, and build relationships amongst the Authority and its stakeholders who had distinguished themselves to advance the course of the industry, especially in these challenging times.
The Awards, held in Accra, was the 16th in the series on the theme: “Stronger Partnerships for Inclusive Tourism Growth”.
Mr Mark Okraku Mantey, the Deputy Minister of Tourism Arts and Culture, said the tourism industry in 2020 was hit hard by the pandemic, causing a lot of enterprises to shut down, which led to a huge decline in revenue mobilization.
The introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine, the opening of the borders, and other government interventions like the World Bank Grant to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism industry, Ghana Cares Obaatanpa initiative, and single window destination helped the industry to bounce back, he said.
The men, women and institutions, he said deserved to be honoured because of their contribution to the stabilization of the industry during the extremely difficult times.
“This is our way of showing our appreciation to your tireless efforts towards the tourism industry to ensure that our vision of making Ghana a preferred destination comes to fruition,” he said.
Mr. Akwasi Agyemang, the Chief Executive Officer of GTA, said despite the challenges of the pandemic, the industry had shown it could survive through the resilience, support, and tenacity of industry players.
He said a committee had been constituted at the public-private partnership forum, which would be a catalyst for engagement with the Authority and the private sector to address those challenges.
He said in 2020 the sector recorded international arrivals worth 355,000 and in the first nine months of 2021, it recorded 411,000, which showed improvement in numbers. Domestic tourism saw 290,000 visitors to the various sites in the country and as of September, it had crossed the 350,000 mark.
The awardees included Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin II, Supportive Traditional Ruler, Nana Kobina Nketsia, Okatakyia Prof Amanfi VII, Mr. Ernest Williams Edusei, Prof Esi Sutherland-Addy, Madam Grace Omaboe, and Mr. Kwaw Paintsil Ansah, honoured as Cultural and Tourism Icons.
The others were Mr. David Dontor, Mr. Daniel Amponsah (Agya Koo Nimo), Mr. Joe Nyarko, Mr. James Ebo Whyte,
Mr. Samuel Afari Dartey, Outstanding Tourism Man, and Kuoru Kuri-Buktie Limann, Outstanding Personality in the Preservation and Conservation of Iconic Sites
The Kingdom Exim Group won the Outstanding Corporate Stakeholder, Mrs. Delphine Brew-Hammond, Outstanding Tourism Woman, Mr. Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey, Tourism Oriented Media Personality, Mr. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Outstanding Personality in the fight against COVID-19, and Chefs Association of Ghana, Most Active Tourism Trade Association.
By: Isaac Clottey
