Ms Mavis Adams Lariba, 2022 Miss Tourism Ghana contestant, has advocated that women are empowered to serve as tourism ambassadors for a change in the hospitality industry.
“Women play a critical role in the hospitality industry, but are often overlooked, Ghana as a nation must begin to acknowledge the vital role of women and empower them to transform the sector to attract more tourists into the country.
“We must begin to brand specific sector ambassadors who would be equipped with resources to market the brand both locally and internationally,” Miss Lariba stated in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tema.
“In all, the main pillars of the tourism industry – destination, marketing, industry, institutions, and human resources, women are the champions, let’s empower the gender factor of the tourism sector and the nation would be the greatest beneficiary,” she said.
Miss Lariba noted that even though some traditional authorities as part of the annual celebration of festivals usually the occasion brand a “Miss” the project ends there at the festival grounds.
“We need capacity building, funding, equipment and tools, support and other incentives to enhance the task of selling a national brand, whether local food, traditional dress, customs, waterfalls, parks, and gardens,” she said.
Miss Lariba also called on the public to vote for her through the short Code: 447124#13 to enable her to continue to champion the tourism sector as its ambassador.
The 2022 Miss Tourism Ghana is on the theme: “Tourism, The Heart of Ghana,” which seeks to explore what the heart of Ghana means per tourism, culture, heritage, traditions, and many more.
Meanwhile, Madame Delphine Brew-Hammond, Director of Events and Operations at Miss Tourism Ghana said the 2022 pageant will cover chieftaincy, entertainment, social media, culture, heritage and many more.
“Tourism is not just about travel, so we want to explore the real heart of Ghana, our warmth, and cultural heritage.
“We will be going to villages to continue doing our orphanage work, helping the needy, women advocacy for women’s health and we also want to open up Ghana to more of the diaspora,” she said.
The grand finale is expected to take place on September 2 at the National Theatre.
Madam Brew-Hammond noted that at Miss Tourism, “contestants don’t represent the region they hail from because we want them to learn about the other regions, we want them to be tolerant.”
