Samuel Agbewode
26 October 2009
Accra — The chiefs and people of Gbadzeme in the Avatime Traditional Area in the Ho Municipality, have discovered a number of new tourist sites which should be developed to attract both local and foreign tourists to the area.
Some of the attraction sites discovered by the people include waterfalls, natural swimming pools and caves which hitherto were unknown, just as other attraction sites in the region like the Wli Waterfalls and the Tafi Atorme Monkey Sanctuary.
The discovery of the tourist sites by the local people has renewed the communal spirit of the people, which made it possible for them to form the Gbadzeme Local Tourist Committee, to help create awareness about the sites to attract tourists to the area.
As a result, a durbar was held at Gbadzeme last Saturday, where the officials of the Volta Region branch of the Ghana Tourist Board were invited to inaugurate the tourist attraction centers, after the Regional Manager of the Tourist Board, Mr. Charles Obeng, and his staff had visited the various attraction sites.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new tourist attraction sites, the Regional Manager of the Tourist Board commended the chiefs and people of Gbadzeme for their had work, and assured them of the government's support to develop the sites.
Mr. Obeng said the Gbadzeme tourist sites would be recommended to the Volta Region Tourism Destination Management Committee, to market the new sites at a level that would help attract both local and foreign tourists, particularly at the Volta Fair to be held in Ho.
The Regional Manager of the Tourist Board asked the people to consider themselves as owners and partners in tourism development in their areas, and reminded them to refrain from negative practices that would affect the development activities of new tourist sites such as the Gbadzeme tourists sites.
Mr. Obeng said much as his outfit would help develop the sites, there was the need for effective collaboration between the Tourist Board, and the accelerated development activities of the sites.
The Paramount Chief of the Avatime Traditional Area, Osei Adzatekpor, who chaired the function, noted that when developed, the sites would not only help open up the Avatime Traditional Area, but would also create jobs for the people.
The Avatime Paramount Chief expressed joy over the discovery of the tourist sites, and urged other Avatime communities to emulate the people of Gbadzeme, by identifying development potentials that could be developed in their areas.
Osei Adzatekpor pointed out that tourism was an important source of revenue for development, which he stressed abounds in the Avatime Traditional Area, but were not exposed for development that would help generate revenue.
The Paramount Chief however pointed out that development of any kind could be possible in an environment of peace, and urged the chiefs and people in the traditional area to unit and forge ahead to develop the area.
The Chief of Gbadzeme , Okusei Okoforobour Agyemang VII, said apart from the identified tourist sites in the area , the topographical layout of the area alone, served as tourist attraction sites, noting that the disciplined nature of the people had helped in protecting the green forest over the years.
The Gbadzeme Chief stressed that even though the people were playing their roles to protect and conserve the numerous tourist attractions in the area, the poor road networks continued to be a major drawback to their efforts.
Okusei Okoforobour Agyemang explained that due to the poor nature of the access road leading to the community, the people found it difficult to convey foodstuff to other parts of the region during the rainy season.
"The road that you ply to the Gbadzeme town was constructed by the people through communal labour, and now we are pleading with the government to construct the road for us. Our gold that we are sitting on, over the years, are the tourist attractions."
A visit to some of the tourist attraction sites, like a stone that was used as weapon during the Ashanti war by the Gbadzeme great grandfathers, among others, clearly exposed the untapped tourist attractions in the area that needed to be developed.
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