Tourism and hospitality - the need to liaise

The travel and Tourism Industry has gradually become very vibrant and competitive, with several components making great progress in their respective fields.

The industry as a whole was very buoyant with lots of tourists and businessmen visiting Ghana, causing a rising demand for different types of accommodation such as resorts, hotels, apartments, guest houses, hostels, as well as the need for good restaurants, transportation and tourist sites. Travel, tourism and hospitality are all interlinked because the performance or otherwise of one can affect the other immensely.

A visitor to Ghana will fly in (travel), stay in a hotel and eat in a restaurant (hospitality), as well as visit a few monuments and sites (tourism). Although each of them operates individually, they cannot succeed in isolation. For sustainable development, all these sectors should liaise and work together to ensure that a visitor to our beautiful country will have a memorable stay.

Tourism and hospitality?

In Europe and many other advanced parts of the world, tourism and hospitality have been immensely developed by the growth of e-commerce and the emergence of several online travel agencies. In Ghana, the growth of e-commerce has made the country a fertile ground for many business moguls to troop down here. This is a relatively new industry and hence more and more people come down every now and then to study the market or do some business. There is always the need for flight tickets, hotel bookings and some recreational or tourist activity once these visitors plan their travel. Also the massive competition among Online Travel Agencies (OTAS) benefits travellers who can now get very good accommodation, flights and other services at amazingly cheap rates. This makes travelling more interesting and hence increases the number of visitor travels into the country.In the end, the tourism and hospitality industries benefit a lot. Honestly, I must admit that getting both the private and public agencies involved in travel and tourism to effectively collaborate is a bit difficult. This is due to differences in their individual aims and objectives or their modus operandi. However, if we find a way of mixing these two bodies and getting them to work in unison, then we are destined for great things in this industry. The private agencies who usually have access to larger funding and investment opportunities can bring that on board to complement what the public agencies also come up with. On the other hand, the public agencies can also ensure that regulations and policies that affect the industry do not have adverse effects on the plans that private stakeholders have made towards the development of the industry. In the end, it is a win-win situation for all.

In the end, the tourism and hospitality industries benefit a lot. Honestly, I must admit that getting both the private and public agencies involved in travel and tourism to effectively collaborate is a bit difficult.This is due to differences in their individual aims and objectives or their modus operandi. However, if we find a way of mixing these two bodies and getting them to work in unison, then we are destined for great things in this industry. The private agencies who usually have access to larger funding and investment opportunities can bring that on board to complement what the public agencies also come up with. On the other hand, the public agencies can also ensure that regulations and policies that affect the industry do not have adverse effects on the plans that private stakeholders have made towards the development of the industry. In the end, it is a win-win situation for all.

This is due to differences in their individual aims and objectives or their modus operandi. However, if we find a way of mixing these two bodies and getting them to work in unison, then we are destined for great things in this industry. The private agencies who usually have access to larger funding and investment opportunities can bring that on board to complement what the public agencies also come up with.On the other hand, the public agencies can also ensure that regulations and policies that affect the industry do not have adverse effects on the plans that private stakeholders have made towards the development of the industry. In the end, it is a win-win situation for all.

On the other hand, the public agencies can also ensure that regulations and policies that affect the industry do not have adverse effects on the plans that private stakeholders have made towards the development of the industry. In the end, it is a win-win situation for all.

The writer is a Tourism Destination Marketer
CEO
Kaya Tours
abeikusantana@gmail.com
gilbertaggrey@yahoo.com