By Hafsa Obeng / Christabel Kporvie, GNA
Accra, Aug. 26, GNA – The Tourism Society of Ghana has launched the Youth in Tourism Festival (YOTOFEST 2026) to encourage young people to explore and promote domestic tourism.
The festival, on the theme: “My Culture, My Pride: The Role of the Youth in Promoting Domestic Tourism,” seeks to deepen the interest of young people in Ghana’s tourism, culture and heritage.
YOTOFEST 2026 is more than a festival. It is a call on the youth to take an active role in promoting tourism, with the understanding that tourism begins from the home.
Mr Joseph Amartey, the Executive Director, Tourism Society of Ghana (TOSOGHA) said the festival was one of the society’s programmes aimed at bringing together young people engaged in various tourism-related activities.
Many young people were already contributing to the tourism industry through food vending, visual arts, graphic design and other creative activities, but were unaware that their work formed part of the tourism value chain, he noted.
He said YOTOFEST would provide a platform for such young people to identify with the industry, showcase their talents and learn from experienced professionals.
Mr Amartey said the main festival, scheduled for November 19 to 21, would begin with a youth in tourism summit focusing on financial literacy, entrepreneurship, sanitation, environmental protection, artificial intelligence, tourism and the creative industry.
He noted that the tourism exhibition fair would be held at the University of Ghana Athletic Oval, which would see more than 5,000 young people from across the country participating.
Mr Amartey said participation and exhibition would be free as part of TOSOGHA’s 20th anniversary celebrations and its commitment to giving back to society.
The programme would also include a “Walk for Tourism” from Ayi Mensah to Peduase and a musical event, dubbed: “Bajo Night”, at the University of Ghana sports stadium.
He appealed to corporate Ghana and tourism industry stakeholders to support the festival, saying investment in the youth was an investment in the future of Ghana.
Mr Amartey also identified funding as a major challenge facing TOSOGHA, particularly its tourism education programmes.
He said the society needed adequate resources to extend tourism education to rural communities and other parts of the country.
He appealed to the Government and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts to consider tourism education in budgetary allocations to enable the society to expand its programmes.
Dr Geoffrey Tamakloe, Director for Tourism at the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, said YOTOFEST would help create opportunities for young people to participate actively in the tourism sector.
He said the festival was aimed at promoting inclusivity and developing the interest of the youth in tourism and cultural products.
Dr Tamakloe, who spoke on behalf of the Tourism Minister, Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, said the initiative aligned with efforts to establish tourism clubs in primary and second-cycle institutions across the country.
The clubs would expose young people to tourism and encourage them to appreciate and patronise Ghanaian cultural products.
Dr Tamakloe said the Ministry and its agencies were partnering TOSOGHA to drive the festival and encourage other institutions interested in youth development to join the initiative.
With the necessary support, he said YOTOFEST could become one of Ghana’s major festivals and attract visitors from around the world to participate.
The initiative had the potential to create jobs and other opportunities for young people while promoting Ghana’s tourism and cultural heritage.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporters: Hafsa Obeng/ Christabel KporvieÂ
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