The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, has urged tourism companies to craft attractive packages to boost tourism in the country.

He made this call during his speech at the 50th Honorary Edition of the National Tourism Awards 2023 held in Accra on Wednesday, November 29, 2023. The award ceremony was on the theme, “Celebrating 50 Years of Ghana’s Tourism Excellence”.

Dr. Awal explained that the Ghanaian tourism industry has been grappling with serious administrative challenges in recent times. He said the Ministry will be gearing up to implement measures to enhance the visitor experience.

“Going forward, next year there are two things I want to urge everybody to do,” Dr. Awal said. “One is to fight against the lack of customer orientation in our people. Poor customer service is our biggest problem in this country. It’s not just hospitality and tourism. It’s across the board, but it is very important in terms of bringing tourists into the country, both from within and outside.”

He urged hotel owners, restaurant owners, hospitality owners, tour operators, and everyone in the tourism private chain to wage a war on poor customer service.

“We will not tolerate poor customer service,” he declared. “Number two, corporate and institutional tourism is going to be key in terms of our domestic tourism drive. Next year I want to urge the tour operators to have a good attractive package so that organizations, both public and private, would encourage their people to visit tourist attractions. We have money in Ghana. So let’s do packages for our attractions.”

The CEO of Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyemang, also announced the Authority’s plan for Christmas.

“Yes, we have launched our December in GH and I believe that already we can feel the vibration,” Mr. Agyemang said. “It’s positive and we are hoping that we can build on that from here. On the first of December, we hope to come out with further directives on how things are going on the visa on arrival, with the security situation, and the plans that everybody who is supporting us has in place.”

He said it’s going to be a very good Christmas and he believes that all Ghanaians must be ready to be part of it.

“Whether you are a business owner, a small business owner, or a big business owner just feel the vibe, be part of what is going on, and let’s make Ghana proud because we can build our country through tourism,” Mr. Agyemang said.

The Special Guest of Honor, Neenyi Ghartey VII, applauded awardees and urged stakeholders to roll out programmes that would promote Ghana.

“Receiving these prestigious awards is a moment of great honour and it reaffirms our commitment to promoting and contributing to the vibrant tapestry of our country’s tourism industry. This recognition wouldn’t be possible without the passion, hard work, and creativity of each awardee,” Neenyi Ghartey said. “From the frontlines of hospitality to the strategic minds shaping our marketing campaign it is your unwavering dedication that has propelled us to this moment.”

He commended the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and the Ghana Tourism Authority for their relentless efforts in promoting Ghana’s tourism potential.