The Mirror's Health , Lifestyle and Fashion
Bentsifi’s Tattle:Graphic 'Do Ghana' Travel Festival
All of these wonderful flourishing brands are just a few of those that have been baptised with the "locally made, locally loved" tag, as they have registered to partner the Graphic 'Do Ghana' Travel Festival which is looking to consolidate a windfall for the retail, hospitality and tourism sectors in a grand sales promotion dubbed "Super-Deal August Saturdays - 1, 8, 15 -,"
Advertisement
The festival which runs for one month from July 15 to August 15, will see partner vendors and merchants who have signed onto its activities, providing giveaways, offers, freebies, discounts & new experiences in a festival whose aim is to stimulate domestic tourism.
Formally launched in a joint ceremony with the Ghana Tourism Authority to announce this year's Emancipation Day activities by the Deputy Minister of Arts, Culture and Tourism, Dr Ziblim Iddi Barri, the festival is set to host retail, hospitality and tourism establishments, and promote, especially "made in Ghana" brands in a distinctive "locally made, locally loved" crusade designed to build confidence in Ghana's post COVID future.
And running as a virtual activity, under the theme, "See Ghana - the place you think you know", the festival targets an online audience who will be offered shopping, dining out, staycations and touring deals through social media come Saturday, August 1, 8, 15.
It's really getting exciting as more and more companies log on to register to partake in what is sure to be three long weekends!
There are some really cool itineraries too, from tour operators who are looking to give patrons a rollicking time.
The Official Tour of the festival are the SunWango Experiences. It is being offered as a collaboration between seasoned professional operators, Sunseekers and the exciting WangoWango group, and they bring you the following.
Saturday, August 1, the Emancipation Day tour, takes debuts with a hike up the hill to the ruins of Fort Amsterdam in Abandze for a solemn spirit filled Luncheon Conclave, which will serve some very soulful dishes!
This will be after joining in the wreath laying ceremony at the Ancestral River Park, where you can also go down to the Ndonko Nsuo. Now, that, I can't wait to attend!
What do you know, there's a bonus tour! An Accra City Sightseeing Tour! Explore the old part of town, and let's end up at Abokobi, which is a settlement founded in 1854 by missionaries of the "Basler Missionsgesellschaft" (Basel Mission) for Christian refugees, who had left Osu (the former Danish-Accra, around Christiansborg) after the British colonial government had bombarded Osu from the Sea in response to the refusal of the inhabitants to pay the newly introduced head tax.
There, we'll visit Frederiksgave Plantation on the Akuapim Hills, a ruined colonial edifice which has been restored beautifully and now turned into a historical exhibition and cultural centre covering a part of the history of Ghana, and Danish cultural heritage.
Two more tours top up the festival offering. The first, on August 8, takes you up the hill to Mampong, to explore Tetteh Quarshie's original cocoa farm, and follow the trail to find how cocoa goes from a plant to chocolate! Cocoa Ye Ghana!
Then, on the 15, imagine yourself breathing in the freshest of air, as you join in a hike up Mt Gemi, to a Cookout on top of the mountain, grilling meats and some well-seasoned salmon fish with some banku!
You have just got to join these SunWango experiences! Join us Conquer Mt Gemi!
Spearheaded by the Graphic Communications Group, the Do Ghana Travel Festival is the principal activity of the 'Do Ghana' Group, a movement working to create interventions to foster domestic tourism.
It is in keen partnership with key institutions such as GraphicOnline, Asaase Radio, Graphic Traveller, the Department of Tourism and Hospitality - University of Cape Coast, RoamGhana.com, ITC/SheTrades, Society for AIDS in Africa, Oxygen, Sunseekers Tours and VoyagesAfriq that they work to bring the festival alive.
Endorsed by the Ghana Tourism Authority, it runs from Wednesday, July 15 to August 15. Let's do Ghana!