Accra walk marks 50 years of hotels association, with fresh call for utility tariff relief and tourism sector reforms

The Ghana Hotels Association continued regional activities to mark its 50th anniversary with a 7.5-kilometre health walk through Accra on Saturday, June 28, 2025, using the occasion to call for electricity tariff relief and the activation of a public-private forum under the Tourism Act.

The Greater Accra walk, which began at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel and ended at the Labadi Beach Hotel, brought together hotel operators and staff from across the region. It is part of a series of health walks planned nationwide as part of the Association’s golden jubilee celebrations.

Speaking after the walk, President of the Association, Dr Edward Ackah-Nyamike Jr., said the exercise was intended to promote the wellbeing of hospitality workers while also drawing attention to the hotel industry’s role in the national economy.

“Physical and mental health are important to the quality of service we deliver in our hotels,” Dr Ackah-Nyamike said. “But we also want Ghanaians and policymakers to recognise the value of our industry,  its role in employment, revenue, and tourism,  and support us where it matters.”

He noted that the sector had recovered from the downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but rising electricity tariffs were affecting business sustainability. “Utility costs, especially ECG tariffs, have become a growing burden. We need relief to remain competitive and continue doing business effectively,” he said.

Dr Ackah-Nyamike also raised concerns about the absence of a Public-Private Partnership Forum under the Tourism Act, 2011 (Act 817), which he said had yet to be fully implemented.

“We raised this concern before the launch of our anniversary and wrote officially to the Ministry of Tourism. Apart from one stakeholder meeting, we have had no formal response,” he said. “The forum is not optional.  It is required by law. We need it to sit down and talk policy.”

The issues raised on Saturday echoed concerns the Association expressed earlier at a press briefing on April 15, when the 50th anniversary activities were formally launched.

At that event, Dr Ackah-Nyamike described the structure of the Tourism Development Fund as “unfair and outdated” and called for a more equitable arrangement.

“It is not sustainable to expect hotels to collect the levy and be told there is nothing for them in return,” he said. “We are appealing to the Ministry of Tourism and its agencies to revisit this arrangement and make it more inclusive.”

The Fund, administered by the Ghana Tourism Authority, is financed through a one per cent levy paid by patrons of tourism enterprises.

The Association has argued that hotels, which are directly involved in collecting the levy, should receive greater support from it, particularly in areas such as staff training, facility maintenance, and recovery from the pandemic.

Dr Ackah-Nyamike said access to the Fund remained difficult due to bureaucracy and lack of clear guidelines.

He called for more transparency and a more inclusive approach to sector development.

“As we celebrate our journey, we also want to see a new chapter where hotels are not just seen as collectors, but as partners in the growth of tourism in Ghana,” he said.

Established in 1975, the Ghana Hotels Association represents hotel owners and managers across the country. Its 50th anniversary celebrations include health walks, blood donations, regional stakeholder meetings and a national durbar scheduled for December.