Players in the tourism industry have asked for government to intensify security measures at various hotels and tourist sites in the country.
The call comes on the back of accidents and injuries at some tourist cites in Ghana and across the sub-region.
In addition, the industry watchers have warned of possible terrorist attacks and crime rates in Ghana should it fail to be proactive in such circumstances.
Addressing some journalists during the launch of the second Jumia Hospitality Report, the Managing Director for Jumia Travel West Africa, Kushal Dutta said government should collaborate closely with players in the hospitality industry to enhance security measures.
“To develop the tourism sector we need a close association with the government and the private organizations, the private organizations will bring in the required investments which they have access to, while the government will have to ensure that we implement the right policies which will ensure security it at its best, it is very important that security measures are enhanced”.
Even though Mr. Dutta admits that Ghana is not wholly secluded from any unwarranted attacks, he allayed the fears of many citing the relatively secured environment at tourist centers compared to other African countries.
“I can however confidently tell you that Ghana is far ahead in security compared to other African countries, there are a lot of people who come to visit Ghana and feel free to walk around at night but will not dare to do same in some other African countries”.
The Jumia Hospitality Report report was compiled after several months of research and interaction with stakeholders and policy makers in the Ghanaian Tourism and Hospitality Industries.
The study among other things aimed at finding the trends in the hospitality and tourism industries over the past year.
Commenting on the report, Mr. Kushal Dutta added that, ‘Domestic travel spending generated 56.7% of direct Travel & Tourism GDP in 2016 compared with 43.3% for visitor exports .This means although there is a challenge in developing domestic tourism, there is still unlimited potential and Ghana as a country must increase efforts to tap into this sector of the industry.’’
Other things highlighted in the report showed that in 2016, Ghana ranked 4th in Africa, with a smartphone user penetration of 14% only falling behind South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya.
The success of e-commerce, the report maintained, can also be attributed to the high number of smartphone users, which increased to 21% of the total population in 2016.
It is forecasted to reach 18 million users in 2017.
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By: Anita Arthur/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
