About half a million Africans in the Diaspora are expected to arrive in the country to take part in “The Year of Return Ghana 2019”, a historic campaign to mark the end of 400 years of the slave trade in Ghana.
According to the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), out of the number, 350,000 participants would come from North America, while the rest would come from the Caribbean, South America and Europe.
The event would come with enormous business opportunities that would boost the economic fortunes of the country, the Chief Executive Officer of the GTA, Mr Akwasi Agyeman, said at the press conference to launch the campaign in Accra yesterday.
He, therefore, urged stakeholders in the tourism industry, such as the Ghana Hotels Association, the Tour Guides Association, the Tour Operators Union of Ghana and airline operators, to position themselves strategically to tap into the opportunities.
“The Year of Return Ghana 2019” is a global homecoming event aimed at attracting the biggest number of Africans in the Diaspora to Ghana this year.
The calendar of events include a Black History Month in February, Ghana’s Independence Day celebration in March, Heritage Paragliding Festival in April, Ghana-Jamaica Homecoming Festival between April and May, the Pan-African Festival of Arts and Culture (PANAFEST) from July to August and Emancipation Day in August.
The campaign was launched by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at America’s National Press Club in Washington, DC, in September 2018.
