The Chief Executive of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Maame Efua Houadjeto, has identified three strategies that will help grow tourism in the Volta Region.
According to her, sustainable eco tourism and heritage protection, digital visibility, and stronger public private partnerships are crucial in unlocking the Volta Region’s full tourism potential.
Speaking at the 2025 Volta Investment Summit held at the Volta Serene Hotel in Ho on December 4, 2025, she said the region already has the assets to become one of Ghana’s strongest tourism and investment frontiers, but added that growth will depend on how well stakeholders organise around these priorities.
Houadjeto stressed that sustainable eco tourism must go hand in hand with preservation and job creation.
She said the region’s waterfalls, monkey sanctuaries, cultural festivals, sacred groves and historical sites can drive real economic value only when communities are empowered to benefit directly from them.
“Job creation around tourism sites is central to our vision. We are actively engaging investors to support us by bringing innovative attractions like paragliding and eco-lodges to the region,” she said.
Maame Efua added that when young people operate travel agencies, craft shops, eateries and rental services around tourist sites, they naturally become custodians of the environment, including the beaches that remain vital to visitor attraction.
The GTA boss pointed to ongoing projects such as a Tourism Information Centre, car parks, a seven seater toilet facility and four summer huts at selected sites.
She cautioned, however, that infrastructure alone is not enough and called for funding support systems that will help local youth set up tourism related enterprises.
On digital visibility, Houadjeto said the Volta Region risks being overlooked if its attractions are not aggressively promoted online. She urged young IT inclined residents to build digital platforms that showcase the region, linking them with GTA’s national promotional efforts.
“In today’s world, if it is not online, it does not exist,” she noted.
She therefore highlighted Ghana’s strengthening global profile, noting that Delta Airlines had just added a new Accra Atlanta route, bringing its daily flights to Ghana to three.
Houadjeto also announced GTA’s upcoming digital transformation programme under the Ghana Tourism Information System. Seven major initiatives are expected next year, including a national tourism website, a licensing portal, a Tourism Development Fund filing system, a customer records portal, a cashless Experience Ghana booking platform, a virtual touring application and an official Visit Ghana social media hub.
“These platforms will transform how Ghana’s tourism operates, and the Volta Region must be at the forefront,” she said.
Touching on public private partnerships, Houadjeto said tourism thrives when government, private investors, traditional authorities and communities work together. She revealed that discussions were ongoing with investors on high impact projects, but emphasised that community participation is what makes development sustainable.
“When locals are investors, employees, and service providers, not just spectators, tourism development becomes truly transformative,” she mentioned.
Houadjeto praised the Volta Regional Coordinating Council for driving the summit and reaffirmed GTA’s readiness to deepen collaboration toward job creation, cultural preservation and sustainable development.