Ghanaian tourism sector aims to improve standards

On Sunday 1 July alone, the capital city Accra will host at least three major events which have attracted international guests.

These have led to the Ghana Tourism Board (GTB) issuing an official statement on Tuesday, 27 June, to the effect that all hotels in the coastal city were now fully booked.

Sunday sees Accra hosting the 9th African Union Heads of State Summit at the International Convention Centre; the Gold Show - west Africa's largest fashion showcase at the breath-taking Independence Square facing the Atlantic Ocean, and a city-wide race set to attract thousands of runners: the African Unity Marathon.

With the country being the current chair of the AU, led by President John Kufuor, it is bound to attract even more visitors on official business.

The GTB and the British Council hosted a training session for service providers in the hospitality sector, earlier this week, hoping to assist the businesses to step their operations up to international standards.

Visitors to Ghana were impressed with many aspects of the nation's offerings but were often disappointed at the sub-standard service in some hotels, said Martin Mireko, acting Executive Director of the GTB.

Ghana has excellent regulations for the sector, explained Mr Mireko, and urged hoteliers and other service providers to adhere to them.

"We will conduct checks at various locations and close down those facilities found guilty of non-compliance," he warned.

Ghana aims to attract one million tourists to the country in 2008.

Should the sector improve its levels of service, it would crown the already impressive array of tourist attractions to Ghana such as the Kakum National Park, Cape Coast Castle and the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park.

The late Ghanaian President who passed away in 1972 is buried there under a massive grey marble monument, along with his wife Fathia, who passed away in May this year.

Of particular interest to South Africans, will be a mango tree planted by Former President Nelson Mandela on his visit to the park in 1991, shortly after his release from prison and three years before becoming South Africa's first democratically elected president.

Article published courtesy of BuaNews