News:
December 9, 2011
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has questioned the wisdom behind allowing both past and serving presidents to take their holidays outside the country while there are some interesting places countryside to have perfect relaxation as a means to promote domestic tourism.
The President of Ghana, John Evans Atta Mills, is currently in the United States of America on a two-week leave after undertaking some official assignments in the US and Canada.
The Communications Director of the main opposition, Nana Akomea, in an interview with Citi News wondered why Ghana’s presidents have not encouraged local tourism by spending their annual leave periods in the country’s various tourist attractions, thereby encouraging ordinary citizens to visit such sites.
He has therefore called on President Mills to take his next annual leave in the country.
“My issue is about the way our presidents spend their vacation or leave,” Akomea said. “We say we want to better tourism in this country. Who is best to spearhead the tourism promotion than the president? ”
“In this country, we actually have presidential resorts which have been purposely built to enable the president take a retreat to go and relax,’ he added.
“The Peduase Lodge is one [and] there is a second one at Akosombo overlooking the dam. We can also develop a presidential lodge at say the Mole Game Park, where the president can go with his guests. Now can you imagine if the president went to Peduase Lodge to take a break for a week?
“People would be motivated to go and develop facilities there and the ordinary citizens too would have a certain motivation to follow.
“It is time that we talked about this, encourage our presidents to go on leave and encourage them to take their leave inside the country,” the communication director noted.
Citifmonline.com