Stakeholders in the Hospitality Industry in the Upper East Region are advocating for the need to patronize homegrown product and services to drive the local economy back on the road to recovery, arguing that with the closure of the country borders and travel ban during the COVID 19 restriction limited their supply chains needed to run the economy.
They observed that when special attention is directed to homegrown produce and products, in the unlikely event of a future pandemic the industry and the country will be self-reliant. There is more in this report.
As the effects of COVID-19 spread across the entire world, the hospitality industry is a leading employer and economic pillar providing jobs and opportunities that can drive the economy to recovery.
The impact of COVID 19 is huge on both revenue and supply chains as decisions were taken to shut down hotels, not to mention the entire disruptive effect of the travel ecosystem. As a result of massive cancellations of flights, tours, and a resultant decline in inbound travel, hotel occupancy rates, and average room rates dropped sharply causing unprecedented declines in profit margins. The problem was compounded by lockdowns and other social distance protocols announced by governments in an attempt to ‘flatten the curve’.
Following the easing of the restrictions by the government, Radio Ghana has been engaging some players in the hospitality industry in the Upper East Region to find out plans for the journey of recovery. A member of the Hoteliers Association of Ghana and the Sales and Marketing Manager for GANASS Hotel in Bolgatanga stressed that judging from the impact of Pandemic there is a need for attention to be focused on locally made products to be self-reliant adding industry players need to explore online service delivery and other marketing strategies.
The hospitality industry and the tourism industry have a mutually beneficial relationship as the hospitality industry serves as the supplier of services for tourism. Hospitality generates revenue for local economies directly when tourists spend money in hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues. The Sales and Marketing Manager further called on stakeholders in the industries to partner with the government to revive the tourism industry to drive the local economy.
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Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/ Prosper Adankai
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