By Hafsa Obeng/Emilia Nkrumah
Accra, Nov. 25, GNA – The Tourism Society of Ghana (TOSOGHA) has launched the Tourist Liberty Card (TLC) to promote domestic tourism in Ghana.
The card which would make exploring Ghana’s rich cultural heritage and natural wonders accessible to everyone was launched in partnership with the Ghana Education Service (GES).
Speaking at the launch, Mr Daniel Mahongo, Zambia’s High Commissioner to Ghana, said the Liberty Card “has got a lot of benefits more especially as Africans as we are embarking on a journey to promote our local tourists.”
He added that the content of the card was tailored in such a way that it encompasses the school-going children, who are the backbone of society in terms of where we want to drive the economy, adding that with tourism being the biggest revenue generator of the nation, the launch of the card was a good initiative.
According to him, the Covid-19 pandemic affected the tourism sector, tourist arrivals were reduced drastically, and hospitality facilities had to shut down among others, adding that with the launch of the Liberty Card and sensitizations, the numbers would bounce back.
Mr Mahongo appealed to Ghanaians to market the Liberty Card as Ghana and Africa would be receiving more diasporans during this festive season.
“Let us use this festive season as an opportunity to market the card to the teaming numbers that would be coming into the country for the ‘December in GH’ events so that as they go back to their respective countries, they will be able to tell people about it,” he added.
Mr Joseph Amartey, Executive Director, TOSOGHA, noted that the Liberty card was designed to encourage more Ghanaian youth to travel to tourist destinations amidst improved tourism experiences and continuous efforts to promote domestic tourism.
He said, “The Liberty card offers exclusive benefits for TOSOGHA members; from visiting most tourist sites nationwide, to access to cultural and tourism events locally and internationally.”
“Not only does it save time and money but also adds value to every travel experience making it truly memorable. We are still in dialogue with other tourism stakeholders to come on board and support the liberty card programme to increase its benefits,” he added.
Mr Amartey said TOSOGHA had been in existence for the past 17 years and over the years they worked with the tourism site attraction in Ghana manually, but now with the introduction of the card, they would be doing the same digitally.
He stated that the Liberty Card programme was open to individuals, including Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians, across three chapters; Basic/Secondary Chapters: Students in basic, secondary, technical, and vocational schools, Tertiary/Public Chapters: Students, adults in universities, training colleges, technical universities, communities, corporations, religious organizations, and professional associations and Diaspora Chapter: Individuals of non-Ghanaian nationality.
Mr Amartey disclosed that the card would not only be used to visit tourist attraction sites, but his outfit would partner with hospitality facilities for holders of the card to enjoy some discount when they patronize their facility
“We are also engaging some Restaurants and Melcom because we want the card to be a one-stop shop that you can use to have your freedom and enjoy hospitality in Ghana and Africa at large.
Mr. Amartey said that the Card would be processed, printed, and delivered to the Education District offices for pick up within two weeks upon
registration and the acceptable identification for registration includes a passport and or Ghana Card, while lost or damaged cards can be reissued for a fee after reporting the loss.
“The card has the name of the bearer, photo, nationality, unique identity number, and expiry date and security code for verification. It is valid for three years but can be renewed annually, with varying fees for different chapters,” he said.
GNA