Beyond the Return: GTA announces call for event organizers

The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has announced a call for entries for event organisers and promoters to submit their proposals for inclusion in the calendar of events for the much anticipated ‘December in GH’ campaign for December 2022.

This announcement comes at a time when the Authority prepares an anticipated increase in international arrivals with the easing of travel restrictions worldwide.

The project being coordinated by the Beyond the Return (BTR) Secretariat invites all event organizers interested in having their event endorsed as an official 'Beyond the Return' program, to submit formal proposals. The team is accepting proposals for events taking place from November 1, 2022 to January 10, 2023. The team encourages all interested in holding events to consider activities that can engage the global African diaspora, continental Africans and Ghanaians .

According to the CEO of the Authority, Akwasi Agyeman, "The vision is to have events that can bring together the global African community to celebrate the holiday season in Ghana. For the past 3 years since we launched the December in GH program, Ghana has become the place to be during Christmas" .

“We all know that every December, Accra becomes the cultural hotspot of Africa with so many events happening and thousands from the diaspora spending their holidays here,” said Annabelle McKenzie, Manager of the Beyond the Return Secretariat. “Ghana is a diverse and beautiful country with so many places to explore. That’s why we encourage all event organisers to consider planning their events, festivals, concerts, and activities in other regions outside Greater Accra. We want the ‘December in GH’ vibe to be experienced not only in the capital city, but across the country.”

An official calendar of events will be released once event organisers have submitted proposals and they have been reviewed by GTA for endorsement. Proposals can be submitted online at www.beyondthereturngh.com/event-proposals/

‘Beyond the Return’ is a ten-year initiative with a theme of ‘A Decade of African Renaissance.’ with seven pillars as its foundation. Each of the pillars are significant to the mission of continued engagement with the diaspora community as well as continental Africans. The seven pillars are Experince Ghana, Celebrate Ghana, Give Back Ghana, Invest in Ghana, Brand Ghana, Diaspora Pathways to Ghana and Promote Pan African Heritage and Innovation. It’s important that potential event organizers consider how their event connects with the pillars when planning.