Hoteliers plead for utility subsidies

The President of the Ghana Hotels Association, Dr Edward A. Nyamike Jr, has called on the government to provide special utility subsidy to players in the hotel industry to help sustain their operations.

According to him, the huge amount of electricity and water bills currently paid by hotels and others in the hospitality industry were a disservice to the sector and urged the government to ensure that utility bills paid by hotels were affordable.

He said “such a move will properly position the hotel industry to be able to make meaningful contributions to the growth and development of the nation.”

Biennial Congress

Dr Nyamike was speaking at the opening of the 10th Biennial Congress of the Ghana Hotels Association in Winneba in the Central Region on the theme: “Job creation and youth empowerment for a sustainable hotel industry in Ghana”.

The congress, which was attended by delegates from across the country, was to deliberate on key matters affecting the association and to also amend the constitution of the association.

He mentioned that the sector was essential to the nation and that measures must immediately be put in place by the government towards ensuring that hotels paid reasonable utility bills in order not to push them out of business.

Economic activities

Dr Nyamike noted that the hotel industry triggered a lot of economic activities in the hospitality sector and must, therefore, be given the needed support to enhance its operations, stressing that “the sector provides employment for many professionals and artisans, thereby reducing the high rate of unemployment in the country”.

He added that the sector had reduced the undue pressure on the government by employing many professionals who hitherto relied on the government for jobs and it must, therefore, be supported to thrive to contribute to national development.

He further noted that the Value Added Tax introduced had led to an increase in their charges and, therefore, called on the government to consider bringing back the flat rate, as well as a further reduction in the corporate tax to improve the hotel industry.

“I wish to call on the government to position the country such that it would attract many tourists into the nation to boost the sector,” he stressed.

Attracting professionals

Touching on the theme, the immediate past President of the association, Mr Herbert Acquaye, called for sensitisation and education to attract many youth into the sector since it had a lot of potential that they could take advantage of.