Japan promotes tourism training
Japan is determined to assist Africa to reverse the situation where tourism development on the continent has so far been promoted primarily by foreigners.
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The country has put in place a mechanism to help African countries tackle the problem of lack of human resources and technical skills for tourism development and enhance the preservation of resources.
In furtherance of that objective, the Japanese government has instituted a course in Okinawa, Japan, aimed at building the capacities of high-level African officials engaged in tourism administration in their countries.
For 2014, the six-week course is open to tourism practitioners from Botswana, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. It will involve lectures, field visits to tourism sites in Japan, research and development on tourism resources and marketing.
In Ghana, the Ghana Tourism Federation (GHATOF), the umbrella body covering the tourism’s 21 private sector trade associations, has been made the lead institution for selecting nominees for the course, which spans February 5-22, 2014. The course will focus on ‘Sustainable Tourism Development in African Countries (Natural and Cultural Tourism Development).’
A concept paper accompanying the admission forms to be filled out by applicants says the course is designed to provide participants with good opportunities to find ways to improve sustainable tourism in Africa.
Commenting on the offer, Mr David Nana Anim, the GHATOF president, expressed appreciation to the government of Japan for extending the facility to the private sector.
On how Ghana’s nominee will be selected, the GHATOF president, himself a past beneficiary of the Okinawa course, said the process would be as transparent as possible. “Each and every association within the federation will be given a chance to go through the eligibility criteria and come up with a nominee.”
