Accra:The Ghana Tourism Federation (GHATOF) has denied any wrongdoing in the visa arrangements for its members who are set to participate in tourism promotional activities related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Federation stated that it neither collected money for travel arrangements nor undertook to secure visas for applicants.
According to Ghana News Agency, GHATOF expressed concern that publications on the matter could misrepresent its role and improperly implicate the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA). The Federation noted that some of its members suffered financial losses to third parties due to unfounded representations.
The controversy arises amid scrutiny of Ghana's participation in tourism and cultural promotions linked to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The GTA and Tribe Culture Fest launched the '16×16' fan engagement initiative to bring the World Cup experience to all regions through various activities.
GHATOF explained that its involvement was based on a longstanding relationship with the GTA, which provided slots for promotional activities. Initially, it was indicated that sponsorship might cover some travel expenses, but members were later informed they would need to cover their own costs due to sponsorship challenges.
The statement highlighted that the visa fee initially set at GHS2,000 was later adjusted to GHS2,250 because of exchange rate changes. Although members paid the revised fee, issues arose with the DS-160 forms required for visa applications, which were not ready as promised.
Attempts to resolve the issue with the GTA Chief Executive Officer led to a rescheduling of visa interviews, but similar problems occurred. It was discovered that Tribe Culture Fest, outside GHATOF's membership, was managing the DS-160 forms.
GHATOF's President convened a meeting to express dissatisfaction with the arrangements, questioning why the contract was given to an external company when their members could manage travel coordination. A video of the meeting circulated publicly, and the President later retracted a document addressing the situation and apologized for its release.
GHATOF emphasized its commitment to transparency and accountability while urging the involvement of trade associations in future national initiatives. The Federation also reaffirmed its collaboration with the GTA to further tourism development.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation has also denied any wrongdoing in the visa matter and called for an investigation to clarify the facts.