By Patrick Ofoe Nudzi, GNA
Accra, Sept. 27, GNA – The Greater Accra Regional Office of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has commemorated the World Tourism Day with a call for responsible environmental stewardship in tourism development.
The World Tourism Day 2025 comes off September 27, on the theme “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation,” and it seeks to highlights tourism’s transformative potentials as an agent of positive change.
The commemoration which happened at the Accra Zoo saw officials of GTA and their partners plant trees and donated trash cans as part of conservation advocacy and environmental protection efforts in tourism development.
Mrs Roberta Dawson Amoah, Greater Accra Regional Director, GTA, said though this year’s theme had several priority areas, their office decided to focus on responsible stewardship of natural resources because they play a pivotal role in tourism development.
“Natural resources play a very pivotal role in tourism development. We are advocating for sustainable tourism development and saying let’s be responsible stewards of the environment,” she said.
Mrs Amoah explained that this year’s national event will be held in the Volta region on the 27th of September while other regions hold their celebrations beforehand.
She said eco-tourism activities thrive when there is minimal environmental impact, adding that there was the need to protect the environment from deteriorating whilst giving it the maximum care.
“When you visit any ecotourism site or community, we must ensure that we leave very minimal, barest minimal negative footprints there. We should make sure that whilst we are enjoying the natural resources, we preserve it for use tomorrow,” the Director said.
As part of their commitment to environmental sustainability, the GTA demonstrated practical conservation measures during the celebration by avoiding the use of plastic water bottles
She said: “We celebrate the day, we are intentional about walking the talk. And so today, we are not using water in plastic bottles. We’ve donated a trash can to the Accra Zoo and so whoever walks in here should also care and leave it in a state that will be beneficial to those yet to come.
Dr. Gilbert Gyebi, Acting Manager of the Accra Zoo said environmental challenges facing Ghana including illegal mining activities (galamsey) had impacted water resources and the broader ecosystem.
“The importance of conservation cannot be over-emphasised. It is essential for us to protect it from pollution and degradation. Environmental protection requires collective effort from all citizens because pollution in distant regions affect everyone through interconnected water systems and food chains,” he noted.
The celebration received support from private sector partners and Mr Samson King Afordofer, Manager of Simba Holidays, a travel and tour agency, said they believed in forging a good relationship with their regulators to support and sustain tourism.
Ms Yvonne Teteh from HelGuard Tours said, the interconnection between tourism and conservation creates value, adding that tourism was not just about visiting places but about protecting them.
World Tourism Day is observed annually to raise awareness about tourism’s social, cultural, political and economic value and the contribution the sector makes to sustainable development goals.
GNA
Kenneth Odeng Adade