COMING UP!!>>Episode #62 (Season 3, Ep.18): Afri-Tourism (3): Towards Tourism Police?

Episode #62 (Season 3, Ep.18):

Afri-Tourism (3): Towards Tourism Police?

Back on 9 September, 2014, our first focus on Afri-Tourism was powerful and deliberate: we had a definition for our listeners on what defines Afri-Tourism. We defined it as “the witting attempt by Africans to purchase African products while visiting African countries.”

This definition was not plucked out of the blue, but based on a deliberate process of having had four tourism-related shows from which we drew inspiration for a definition. Again, to remind listeners:

• Ghana’s Forestry Sector & Eco-Tourism on 29 July, 2014
• Africa’s Aviation sector on 19 August, 2014
• Ghana’s Hotel Industry on 26 August, 2014
• Afri-Tourism on 9 September, 2014
• The Hotel Industry in Ghana & Africa (2); and a Chat with Miss Tourism 2013 on 30 September, 2014

The term “Afri-Tourism” has become entrenched in AIF’s history on account of the first-ever High-Level Forum on Regional Development in West Africa, which was sponsored by WACSI. At the forum, Kofi Akpabli made a presentation entitled “Towards Afri-Tourism: Making Ghana a viable Tourist Destination” in which he spoke of a kind of sub-regional tourism. Akpabli further spoke of regional tourism blocs, wondering whether West Africa is competing or actually complementing – as done in East Africa.

In 2015, we had a second show on AfriTourism, in which we brought Kofi Akpabli; Professor Boakye; and Aisha Boakye-Yiadom -- three familiar faces to AIF— who know their tourism inside out, and helped us navigate another conversation on it from a sub-regional; national; and continental perspective.

But 2015 was different for another reason as it would be the year when the UN World Tourism Organisation would hold a conference on Branding Africa. It would be there the host would meet the founder of #TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYou – 17-yr-old Rachel Emefa Markham, who says she will follow the footsteps of her grandfather-journalist’s career.

In this third show on AfriTourism, and the first for 2016, we are happy to be interviewing the Founder of the Tourism Organisation on Safety and Security (TOSS), which was re-launched in November 2015.

Even if we were to momentarily forget the collapse of the Bonsu bridge in 2015 that was passed off as “an act of God”, one cannot forget the increasing insecurity that terrorist attacks in the Sahel have caused, and its consequent and adverse backward and forward linkages on the tourism sector.

Now, more than ever, a conversation on the critical role of safety and its bedfellow – security – is needed. Could “tourism police” be an answer?

                                                                

Call us on the following numbers

+233(0)289.000.931

Join us if you can at 2.05pm on 17 February, 2015.

Guiding questions

·       Was the re-launch of TOSS necessitated by initial apathy of then-Tourism Board to focus areas of TOSS?

·       “Tourism Police” appears to be a major focus of TOSS. Why a focus on police?

·       How does one reconcile safety and security with tourism?

·       How important is a liberalization of Africa’s airlines important for the tourism industry?

·       What is the objective of the upcoming conference in May?

·      

 Guest in the studio:

Ø  Kwame Twum Ampofo, Founder/Director of Special Duties, Tourism Safety & Security Initiative(TOSS)

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more details will be available soon on www.africainfocusradioshow.org ; africainfocusshow.blogspot.com. Follow the conversations on #AfricainFocus on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/africainfocus14. Tweet Emmanuel ahead of time on www.twitter.com/ekbensah, using #africainfocus .

Call Radio XYZ93.1FM on 0289.000.931 / 0289.931.000.

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COMING UP!!>>Ep.51:Afri-Tourism (2): Matters Arising on Branding Africa when the UNWTO is in Town!

Episode #51:

Afri-Tourism (2): Matters Arising on Branding Africa when the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) is in Town!

Back on 9 September, 2014, our first focus on Afri-Tourism was powerful and deliberate: we had a definition for our listeners on what defines Afri-Tourism. Just to remind listeners, we defined it as “the witting attempt by Africans to purchase African products while visiting African countries.”

This definition was not plucked out of the blue, but based on a deliberate process of having had four tourism-related shows from which we drew inspiration for a definition. Again, to remind listeners:

• ·       Ghana’s Forestry Sector & Eco-Tourism on 29July, 2014
• ·       Africa’s Aviation sector on 19 August, 2014
• ·       Ghana’s Hotel Industry on 26 August, 2014
• ·       Afri-Tourism on 9 September, 2014
•    The Hotel Industry in Ghana & Africa (2); and aChat with Miss Tourism 2013 on 30 September, 2014

The term “Afri-Tourism” has become entrenched in AIF’s history on account of the first-ever High-Level Forum on Regional Development in West Africa, which was sponsored by WACSI. At the forum, Kofi Akpabli made a presentation entitled “Towards Afri-Tourism: Making Ghana a viable Tourist Destination” in which he spoke of a kind of sub-regional tourism. Akpabli further spoke of regional tourism blocs, wondering whether West Africa is competing or actually complementing – as done in East Africa?

In a week in which the UN World Tourism Organisation is in town for three days to discuss tourism and branding Africa, we at AIF believe it is an opportune time to re-visit both tourism—as practiced in Ghana and Africa—and “Afri-Tourism”.

To this end, we will be speaking to three tourism practitioner-experts who are no strangers to the AIF Show.

Kofi Akpabli; Professor Boakye; and Aisha Boakye-Yiadom are three familiar faces to AIF who know their tourism inside out, and will help us navigate another conversation on it from a sub-regional; national; and continental perspective.

Let’s go Afri-touring!

Call us on the following numbers when we open the phone lines at 14h30 GMT

+233(0)289.000.931 // +233(0)289.931.000

Join us if you can at 1pm on 11 August, 2015.

Guiding questions

• ·       What is the objective of Sekalaga Tours?
• ·       What is level of youth engagement of Sekalaga Tours in promoting travel/tourism?
• ·       What was outcome of ST’s “All-White Party” held in March 2015
• ·       What has been TRAC’s major work since establishment in 2014?
• ·       How important is security & safety to advocacy of TRAC?
• ·       In TRAC’s opinion, how should governments better-protect tourism trade?
• ·       Ebola is not over, but being managed, so how does one continue to make Ghana a viable tourist destination?
• ·       What about sub-regional tourism that East Africa does very well?
• ·       Can Ghana still be considered a honeymoon destination in West Africa?
• ·       What has reception been to Akpabli’s “Romancing Ghanaland – the Beauty of 10 Regions” and “Harmattan: a Cultural Profile of Northern Ghana” since book-reading?

Guests in the studio:

Ø  Asha Boakye-Yiadom, Sekalaga Tourist Attraction & Educational Resource

Ø  Juana Akuamoah-Boateng, Assistant Producer, AIF ReComm

Guests on the line:

Ø  Naa Lamiley Bentil, Senior Staff Reporter, Daily Graphic, Ghana @13h10 to speak to us about the newly-established Network on Forest Governance & Community Empowerment, and key outcomes of Civic Response Media Workshop on Forest Governance held 12-14 August, 2015

Ø  Mariam Chiazor Content Editor, Afro Tourism (www.afrotourism.com)  @13h30 to speak to us about her company, and impressions of the two-day “UN World Tourism Regional Conference on Enhancing Branding Africa: Fostering Tourism Development” underway at LaPalm Royal Beach Hotel

Ø  Prof.Boakye, Executive Director, Tourism Research Advocacy Centre(TRAC), Cape Coast University, Central Region, Ghana @13h50 to brief us about the state of Ghana’s tourism (potential), and what TRAC has been doing since establishment in 2014

Ø  Kofi Akpabli,  CNN-award-winning tourism journalist; author of 3 books on Tourism @14h20

ARTICLE: Disaster in Paradise? Looking beyond Bunso: Towards securing our tourism attractions

The  greatest desire of any  tourist/holiday maker is to have fun and relaxation in a safe place away from home. To that end almost all tourism destinations present themselves as idyllic places where the patron can feel relaxed and safe. Thus  the tourism attraction would be the last place a person would expect to be exposed to harm . That is why  this week has been a rather bad one for tourism.  First it was the deadly terrorist attack in Sousse, Tunisia, then,  our own Bunso Canopy Walkway also gave way. The first of them was a security issue while the incident in Ghana centred on safety. Either way, they each have the potential to hurt the tourist trade in their respective countries.

Research has shown there is a very strong positive relationship between safety/security and the fortunes of tourism.  Tourism literally thrives on safety and security.

For example, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) indicates that  international tourist arrivals in  its  Middle East Region (including Egypt and Tunisia)    declined by 8.4 percent to 54.8 million in 2011 – a year after the  Arab Spring.  Yet, in 2010 the previous year,  arrivals to the region had  grown by  nearly 15.  The effect is even more graphic  when the figures for the two countries are isolated from the rest. Experts generally believe that the 2010  revolts caused  at least    a 30-40% decline in  demand for the two countries in subsequent years.   In fact, in Tunisia, tourism arrivals dropped by a third in 2011 and the associated financial losses can only be imagined. The same can be said of the effect of the 9/11 attacks on the New York tourism industry which was estimated to lose some 1-2 billion dollars in business in associated  economic activities.

An even more ominous    threat to global tourism is that posed by terrorism. The stark reality is that   a pattern is slowly taking shape in which tourism facilities are increasingly becoming targets for terrorist attacks.  Attacks from England, Bali, Indonesia, France, Jordan, Egypt, Kenya, Peru, The Philippines, and Mexico and, more recently, Tunisia have shown this trend.  This year alone Tunisia has witnessed two such horrific  incidents,  just three months apart from each other - one at a museum and the  more recent one at a popular tourist beach.

 It therefore goes without saying that countries that wish to gain from tourism must consciously make efforts to protect the trade.  For a country that is so heavily reliant on international visitors, Ghana cannot afford to be having such avoidable  safety oversights or security breaches  at its attractions.  It is against this backdrop that  we  should take what happened in Bunso as seriously as we can and also institute structures that can avoid a terrorist attack on our tourism facilities.  

It is good to read that the Ghana Tourism Authority is in the process of developing a Legislative Instrument that will empower them to  enforce safety and security at our attraction sites.

This is because  in truth,  Bunso is not the only unsafe and insecure attraction in the country.  In fact save for a few arrangements for police presence on crowded days, our attraction facilities hardly have any security cover.  Neither are there any strong safety measures that can protect patrons from unintended harm.

Moving forward the  Ministry of Tourism  as a policy formulator must initiate processes  towards the crafting of a tourism safety and security policy.    Such a policy would definitely have to address pertinent questions such as: How safe should our attractions/facilities ? What are the likely sources of harm/threat (unintended or intentional)

·         What warning systems can we put in place to  monitor and react to such threats?

·         Who manages these systems and how will they be funded?

·         What systems can we  institute to  ensure these facilities comply with  prescribed safety measures?

·         Who are the key stakeholders and what roles do they play?

·         How often must equipment at attraction sites  be maintained or changed?

·         What is the carrying capacity of our tourist facilities, how are they determined and  who enforces adherence to  them?

·      

    How best can  the tourism sector  and the security apparatus collaborate to provide  safety/security (especially from terrorism)

Bunso must  serve as the  wake-up call for us as a destination to  create security structures and systems  for all tourism attractions  in Ghana.

by

Prof. Kwaku Boakye

The writer is the  Managing  Researcher at the Tourism Research and Advocacy Centre- a tourism think tank based in  Cape Coast.

Email: tourism.advocate@yahoo.com

#PODCAST>>EPISODE#29: Perspective Retrospective (1): Health, & Tourism

From E K: "EPISODE #29 Research & Co-ordination: E.K.Bensah Jr Executive Producer: E.K.Bensah Jr LINK: "Dear friends, Please find below a link to the podcast of the full edition of 20 January edition of "Africa in Focus". We spoke to Communications Officer at West Africa AIDS Foundation, Penelope Agbai, who gave us a refreshing insight into the work that her organisation does. The interview was also a reminder that even as Ebola is being quelled with some success, Ghanaians must fight the complacency of feeling that the battle against HIV/AIDs is won. Although late in coming, still very useful was the intervention of our regular from EbolaWatch--Kobby Blay--who continued to remind us that Ebola remains real and that all of us are needed to keep ourselves safe, and remind others to do same in ridding the sub-region of the virus. Finally, we had a very vivacious intervention from the owner of Sekalaga Tours, Mrs.Asha Boakye-Yiadom, who told us of an "All White Party" coming up on 7 March to help raise funds to take children to school. Kindly find the link to the podcast of #AfricainFocus show on Tuesday 20 January, 2015. We look forward to comments! In solidarity!" Emmanuel"" Click here to view (E K shared these files using Dropbox. Enjoy!) © 2015 Dropbox

Post-show Video Clip of Tourism advocacy organisation TRAC's Dr.Boakye

E.K. shared a video with you! “Dear friends, To mark the 20th edition of the Africa in Focus show, we have commenced post-show video interviews that seek to both promote the work of the guests we invite, and some of their ideas on the themes we cover for the show. In this maiden post-show clip, Dr.Boakye, of tourism advocacy organisation TRAC, tells us where he would like to see tourism go, and why it is important we consider using it as a way of generating money for the country. Comments much appreciated! Regards, Emmanuel” View video

© 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: Afri-Tourism (9 September, 2014)

From Emmanuel K: "Dear friends, Kindly find the link to the podcast of #AfricainFocus show on Tuesday 9 September, which interrogated some important questions about what Africa in Focus calls "Afri-Tourism". 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