PODCAST>> "AFRICA IN FOCUS: The Hotel Industry in Ghana & Africa (2); and a Chat with Miss Tourism 2013 (30 September, 2014)

From Emmanuel K: "Dear friends, Kindly find the link to the podcast of #AfricainFocus show on Tuesday 30 September. It was indeed a bit of a mixed bag, because we interviewed Miss Tourism 2013 Jessy Kawra to offer insights into life after her reign. We also sought to shed light on the hospitality sector by asking important questions emanating from the outcome of a Forum of Ghana Hotels Association held last week in Accra. Specifically, how should hotels synergise with regulators (Fire Service; Ghana Tourism Authority; et al) as they seek to do business. As usual, we have different segments, including our regular AU/ECOWAS five minute digest; and "Africa in the News". We also had #EbolaWatch updates from Kobby Blay, our registered nurse at Korle-Bu. Check out our podcast to also listen to a six-minute piece by Executive Secretary of Ghana Association of Savings and Loans Company(GHASALC) of their AGM early September. We look forward to comments! Kind regards, Emmanuel"" Click here to view (Emmanuel K shared these files using Dropbox. Enjoy!) © 2014 Dropbox

AFRICA IN FOCUS >> Coming up on 30 September, 2014: The Hotel Industry in Ghana & Africa (2); and a Chat with Miss Tourism 2013

So, World Tourism Day 2014 went by on 27 September without much fanfare in the media.

With the exception of one or two stories by some media houses, the media has generally been found wanting on reporting tourism. Add that to the fact that Africa in Focus has reported about how the African Union and the UN World Tourism Organisation signed an MoU to promote tourism as an important element in reducing poverty in Africa, and you will realize how serious we are about prosecuting this all-important agenda.

The 27 July edition of Africa in Focus, which focused on the Forestry Sector and matters arising on Eco-Tourism, kick-started the first of a series of programmes that seek to shed light on different aspects of tourism.

On 19 August, we looked at the Aviation sector as another equally-important aspect of supporting and developing the tourism sector. On 26 August, we asked important questions around the hotel industry in Ghana. Today’s edition is a follow-up of that edition.

But let us just add a little about World Tourism Day.

According to the UN, this year’s World Tourism Day (WTD) draws special attention to the role of tourism in contributing to one of the building blocks of a more sustainable future for all: Community development. This focus is in line with the global transition to the Sustainable Development Goals as the guiding principle promoted by the UN from 2015 and beyond.

The UN maintains that “as a sector representing 9% of global GDP, one in 11 jobs worldwide, and a key revenue sector for developing and emerging economies, tourism is widely acknowledged for its capacity to respond to global challenges.” It continues that “the consolidation of tourism’s economic influence has built up its social responsibility and political relevance, with a growing number of countries allocating a stronger mandate to tourism in economic and development policy planning.”

Judging by the past six programmes we have focused on tourism-related issues, one could be forgiven for thinking that Ghana has yet to recognize the all-important revenue-earner tourism remains, and therefore, why regulating, and sanitizing the hotel industry is so important.

At the end of the day, when you look at the value chain of how tourism raises revenue for the State, you will realize that hotels sit firmly on that chain.

Today’s edition of AIF, our 19^th edition, is a bit of a mixed bag, because even as we will be interviewing Miss Tourism 2013 to offer insights into life after her reign, we will most importantly be shedding light on the hospitality sector by asking important questions emanating from the outcome of a Forum of Ghana Hotels Association held last week in Accra. Specifically, how should hotels synergise with regulators (Fire Service; Ghana Tourism Authority; et al) as they seek to do business.

Guiding Questions to be answered:

• Why an Association of Hotels? How long has it bene in existe nce?
• What is the GAH’s mandate as it relates to hospitality & tourism industry?
• What is the state of the regulatory regime with respect to the hotel industry?
• What is the role of the EPA in regulating hotel industry?  
  Guests in the studio:

• Dr. Edward Ackah-Nyamikye Jnr , Chairman, Ghana Hotels Association--ACCRA
• Lambert Faabeleuon, Environmental Protection Agency

PODCAST>> "AFRICA IN FOCUS: Hospitality Sector in Ghana & Africa (26 August, 2014)

From Emmanuel K: "Dear friends, Kindly find the link to the podcast of #AfricainFocus show on Tuesday 26 August, which interrogated some important questions in Africa's hotel industry. We leave the show getting a sense of why hotel prices in Ghana are relatively higher than in other African countries, and why the tourism regulators, and government are found wanting in bringing sanity to the sector. As usual, we have different segments, including our regular AU/ECOWAS five minute digest; "Africa in History"; "Africa in the News". We also have #EbolaWatch updates from Kobby Blay, our registered nurse at Korle-Bu. We look forward to comments! Kind regards, Emmanuel" Click here to view (Emmanuel K shared these files using Dropbox. Enjoy!) © 2014 Dropbox

AFRICA IN FOCUS >> Coming up on 26 August, 2014:The Hotel Industry in Ghana & Africa: Challenges; Prospects; and the Future

The Hotel Industry in Ghana & Africa: Challenges; Prospects; and the Future

Even before the Ebola crisis took root in the fears of Ghanaians, AIF had already put together what would become a package of stories dealing with the tourism sector in Africa. One may recall that in one of our July editions, we touched on the role of the African Union and the UN World Tourism Organisation in promoting tourism as an important element in reducing poverty in Africa.

 To this end, the two institutions had, in July, signed a MoU to help realize this. The 27 July edition of Africa in Focus, which focused on the Forestry Sector and matters arising on Eco-Tourism, kick-started the first of a series of programmes that seek to shed light on different aspects of tourism.

On 19 August, we looked at the Aviation sector as another equally-important aspect of supporting and developing the tourism sector.

Unbeknownst to many, on 3 July, 1991, ECOWAS adopted a programme of activities for tourism. As far back as that time, ECOWAS recognized the need to encourage and facilitate the joint promotion of tourism products in West Africa. It sought to coordinate tourism development activities in Member States. Finally, aware of the necessity to “create and maintain a high standard for tourism in the sub-region and thereby boost the flow of tourists to the Member States”, ECOWAS adopted, in 1999, a standards for classification of hotels, motels and guest inns.

For the purposes of this discussion, we will use the ECOWAS definition, which defines a hotel or any similar establishment catering for the tourist trade, in the following way: “an establishment providing sleeping accommodation to the public by way of trade or business, such accommodation being payable on a daily basis, or in the case of a longer period of occupancy, payable weekly or monthly, provided…the occupant is not permanently resident therein. The establishment may provide restaurant facilities and may be open for business either all year round or seasonally.”

In this edition of AIF, which is our 15^th edition, we will be shedding light on the hospitality sector, with a special focus on hotels, in Ghana, and Africa.

We will be asking very important questions about why hotel prices are so high in countries like Ghana? How does it compare to countries like Rwanda, where there is greater sanity in the tourism sector? In addition, we will be asking what can be done by the hotel industry to improve customer satisfaction for its clients. Finally, in the light of the Ebola virus, what measures are hotels taking to assure customers they are ready to confront the scare head-on for their clients? We will conclude the show having examined the impact of the three-month ban of international conferences on the hotel industry in Ghana, with a discussion on how to bring sanity into the sector in the light of the current turbulence.

Guests in the studio:

Ø  Kwaku Ayeh Akuffo, Head, Sales & Marketing, MJ Grand Hotel

Ø  Siisi Baidoo, Sales Executive, Tulip Inn Hotel

On the line

Ø  Richard Baafi-Duah, Manager, Manna Heights Hotel, Central Region, Ghana @13h50

Ø  Emmanuel Werabe , Tourism Quality and Standards Manager, Department of Tourism and Conservation, Rwanda Development Board @14h05

Tune in at 13h10 GMT (1:00pm Ghana Time). We’re also streaming live  www.radioxyzonline.com.

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