In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, on Wednesday in Accra, he said government must maintain and review some of the initiatives of the previous government brought in the sector because there were several challenges with the implementation.

He said industry players expected the government to start by appointing competent and dedicated people who are passionate about transforming the sector to the Ministry and agencies.

"We are looking forward to President Mahama to appoint the right people, who have insight in the tourism and hospitality industry, are passionate, dedicated and not focused on satisfying their political ambitions. Experts from academia and industry who can contribute, irrespective of their political divide should be invited to help," he said.

He said, "if we do not select the right people, at the right places, then we will lose it. Appointing politically inclined people means that their decisions would very much be influenced by their political orientation. There should be a way to get people who are level headed and who put Ghana first."
He said government must also foster collaboration between the public and private sector and academia, saying tourism anywhere in the world is always led by the private sector, who carry out policy ideas of government, by pushing the public sector to do what it is supposed to be doing.

The 'Year of Return' and 'Beyond the Return' were perfect initiatives by the previous government which generated enough revenue for the country, hence government must continue and improve upon it.

"The government must also implement the E-Visa application that allows travellers to apply for visas electronically rather than physically visiting an embassy or consulate. This is convenient, time saving, increases efficiency and enhances security," he said

Mr Frimpong, who is also the Founding President, Africa Tourism Research Network and CEO, Pishon Consult said as a matter of priority, the government must adopt visa free for some selected destinations.
He stated that the government must also speed up the implementation of the National Tourism Development Plan, which was supposed to outline clear objectives, strategies, and initiatives to promote tourism in Ghana, but has been on the drawing board for years.

"They must ensure the Plan is developed with the proper collaboration with stakeholders from the private sector, local communities, and government agencies," he added.

Mr Frimpong said the government must upgrade and expand existing tourism infrastructures to attract more investors to build hotels and other facilities to accommodate increasing tourist numbers.

He said they must encourage eco-friendly and responsible tourism practices that minimize the sector's impact on the environment, enhance visitor experience by focusing on creating memorable and authentic experiences for tourists, and creating a unique and compelling brand identity that showcases Ghana's tourism offerings.

He said there was quite a lot that industry players could do to support the initiatives of government, assuring that the private sector would engage and put ideas together, present to government and development partners and work to promote tourism focusing on domestic and regional tourism.
He noted that they would continue to give recommendations and support government with ideas that would help the industry. "We will open our doors to government, support, continue to engage and criticize were we need to."