Nii Ashitey Odamtey II, Tema Chief Fisherman, has called for a strategic plan for the development of coastal tourism in the country, an initiative that can contribute to growth.

“When you go to some countries, they don’t even have these resources we have, but they have developed it and they are benefitting from it, but Ghana is not able to design the area to attract foreigners,” he said.

Nii Odamtey II, who was speaking with the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Tema, said such investment would also have a great impact on the jobs and incomes within the coastal communities through hotels, restaurants, taxis, and souvenirs sales, among others.

He mentioned that coastal areas were the world’s major destination for tourism, which was the fastest-growing sector of the global economy.

The chief fisherman explained that tourism expenditure and services generate income and were the main sources of foreign exchange for many countries around the globe.

He said it could also offer some benefits such as appreciation of the value of natural resources and, therefore, called for more education and sensitization to help boost overall awareness about how important coastal areas were to the communities.

He urged all stakeholders at coastal destinations to develop positive attitudes towards maintaining the coastal environment.