Tourism needs common front to progress

By Hafsa Obeng/ Benjamin Hallo, GNA
Accra, Sept. 29, GNA - Jumia Travel - Ghana has urged the private and public sector operators in the tourism to work closely to foster the common goals of the industry towards national prosperity.

Mr Bennet Otoo, the Public Relations Manager of Jumia, who made the suggestion, said with a common front they could resolve the limited understanding of the industry, inadequate investments, lack of professionalism and infrastructural, and the high cost of tourism destinations, which were some of the challenges.

Mr Otoo was speaking at event, organised by Jumia Travel, an online hotel booking company, to mark the World Tourism Day, on Wednesday, in Accra.

Dubbed: 'Jumia Day', the event was also to announce the great successes chalked by the company in its quest to give travelers and tourists to and within Ghana, a wide range of affordable but comfortable accommodation options.

Mr Otoo noted that the tourism and hospitality industry were growing very fast and the more attractive Ghana made its tourist sites and hotel services, the more foreign investors would get down and the greater the potential for growth.

The tourism sector, he said, contributed to the economic growth of the nation, explaining that the tourism assets of Ghana included national attractions, historical heritage and cultural heritage.

Ghana was ranked as the third most peaceful country in Africa and ranked the 11th friendliest country in the world. It is also the eight best African country in doing business, and the third in hotel development in the Sub Saharan Africa, he said.

He said the celebration of the World Tourism Day was conceived by the United Nations to celebrate one of the world's most important industry.

Madam Claire Stall, the Managing Director, Jumia (Ghana) said to celebrate the World Tourism Day, Jumia Travel, was announcing the activation of 1000 hotels, guesthouses and apartments on their portal in Ghana.

She said the landmark achievement offered travellers and tourists, to and within Ghana, a wide range of affordable but comfortable accommodation options, saying the expansion had been engineered to also better serve the local needs of Ghanaian travelers around the country.

'Reaching the 1000 mark reiterates our stand as Africa's leading online hotel booking website with the largest inventory of Hotels,' she said. 'With hotels in all 10 regions of the country at very affordable rates, the headache of not finding a suitable accommodation is eliminated.'

She said although hotel booking was the heart of business of the online portal, the company had also established itself as a travel expert with the addition of travel packages including flights, weekend trips and holiday packages.

'The move is part of the company's initiative to promote domestic tourism in Africa, as we approach the peak season,' she said.

GNA