The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) in collaboration with the 'Beyond the Return' Secretariat officially brought its 'December in GH' festivities to a close in the first week of January 2023. The period, within the month of December 2022 and the first week of January 2023, treated the populace, Africans in the diaspora, and the global community to Ghana's rich arts and cultural heritage. In February, the Ghana Tourism Authority, in collaboration with Fairafric commemorated the National Chocolate Day celebration with a presentation of cocoa-based products to pupils and staff of Dzorwulu Special School, in Accra. The presentation was to express love and affection to the special children with special needs to make them feel part of the celebration. The Ghana Hotels Association (GHA) in March expressed dissatisfaction at the response of the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) to the astronomic increase in water tariff for hotels for the first quarter of 2023. On March 15, the GHA wrote to the PURC to draw its attention to the astronomical increase in water tariff for hotels for the first quarter of 2023, from the announced upward adjustment of 8.3 per cent to 167 per cent. Mr Emmanuel Frimpong, a Tourism Consultant and Analyst, at Pishon Consult Limited, called on the government to grant visa-free entry to tourists, in March. He said, 'As a country, we have made lots of progress in the tourism sector with the influence of international tourists, hence it is important to make entry into the country a bit easy for them for them to come all the time to invest.' In May, the 2023 edition of Miss Tourism Ghana, a pageant to promote the rich cultural heritage and tourist destinations in the country, was launched in Accra. The pageant was solely dedicated to project Ghana's tourism sector. In the same month, the Embassy of Ghana in the United States of America (USA) in partnership with the Ghana Tourism Authority launched the 'Ghana Week in DC' in Accra, calling on Ghanaians to showcase the rich culture. Th e National Folklore Board (NFB) in collaboration with the Association of Ghanaian Unions in Switzerland (AGUS), and the Embassy of Ghana in Switzerland launched the Ghana Day Festival Highlife Concert and Business Expo 2023, in Accra. The concert scheduled to take place from June 30 to July 1, 2023, in Switzerland, under the theme 'See Ghana, Buy Ghana'' is aimed at taking Ghanaian highlife music to Switzerland to create a bigger platform for industry players. The Akwaaba Travel Market, Nigeria, in collaboration with the Ghana Tourism Authority, held the sixth ACCRA WEIZO West African Travel Expo, in Accra. The three-day Expo on the theme 'Tourism development through digitalization', was aimed at creating a platform to market the continent. In June, Mrs Juliet Yaa Asantewaa Asante, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Film Authority, called for the inclusion of film tourism in the Ghanaian tourism space to attract the rest of the world to Ghana as the preferred shooting destination. The African American Asso ciation of Ghana (AAAG) in partnership with the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) marked the Juneteenth festival in Ghana. The celebration started with a parade from the Du Bois Centre, through the Lands Commission to the 37 Military Hospital, then through to Jubilee House and ended at the Accra Tourist Information Centre (ATIC). The Ag Director of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park (KNMP), Mr Edward Quao, has expressed satisfaction at the patronage of the Park on the first day of its re-opening to the public. In July, the 2023 edition of the PANAFEST/Emancipation Day Celebrations organised by the Ghana Tourism Authority under (GTA) the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and in partnership with the PANAFEST Secretariat started from July 19 to August 1. The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture officially launched the endorsed schedule of events for the 2023 'December in GH' calendar in August. December in GH is the country's biggest cel ebration of culture, entertainment, adventure, nightlife, fashion, gastronomy, tours, and community service. The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) launched the 2023 Ghana 'Tourism Month' in September with a call on the citizenry to patronise the festivals and events. In September, Mr Akwasi Agyeman, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) said domestic tourism had grown by 47 per cent over the last two to three years. He said the Authority was, however, hopeful that with efforts, initiative, dedication, and collaborations as well as the partnership model they were beginning to build, and with more people coming into the country, by the close of the year, the number would increase. The 2023 United Nations World Tourism Organization's (UNWTO), World Tourism Day, celebrated every year on September 27, was held in Ada, in the Greater Accra Region. The Eighth Ghana Theatre Festival, organised by the National Theatre, opened in Accra in October on the theme: 'Celebrating Ghanaian culture and h eritage through partnerships and linkages'. The final calendar for this year's edition of the 'December in GH' events was unveiled in Accra in November. The Africa Medical Tourism Council (AMTC), an initiative aimed at promoting a more organised medical tourism infrastructure within Ghana, was launched in Accra, also in November. Source: Ghana News Agency