The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has held the sixth Public Private Partnership Forum (PPPF) in Cape Coast with a call on industry players to leverage technology and collaboration to grow their businesses and expand the tourism sector.
The forum offers businesses and regulators the platform to connect and collectively find solutions to the challenges affecting the growth of the industry.
The sixth edition brought together regulators, academia, students, hoteliers, travel agents, attraction site managers, media, tour operators, graphic designers, and other supporting services to join the ongoing Central Regional Trade and Investment Fair to discuss the future of the industry.
It was on the theme: “Leveraging Innovation, Technology and Collaboration in the tourism and hospitality industry for sustainable economic growth and development.”
Nana Obiri Aduama, the General Manager of the Ridge Royal Hotel and Nkosohen of the Oguaa Traditional Area, advocated the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate or perfect new ideas to enhance services across the sector.
He entreated businesses to optimise their smart phones by leveraging social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter) and Snapchat to reach a wider market.
“If I stay at my hotel and create a package and I don’t put it on the mobile phone, then the innovation remains in the hotel; nobody gets to hear of it,” he said.
“Everybody is going to Tik Tok but not many of us have our business products on it. Since everybody is going there, why don’t you put your innovated business there for people to see it?”
He urged industry players to depart from the conservative way of operating and turn to technology and innovation to survive in the fast-evolving world.
Mr Charles Buabin, the Central Regional Director, Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), noted that the roles of stakeholders were interrelated and required coordination and collaboration to grow the sector.
He observed, for instance, that most tourism resources, including the castles and attraction centres, were under the traditional authorities and, therefore, it was critical to collaborate with the chiefs to preserve the sanctity of such places.
“For example, chiefs can come up with by-laws for us to follow to ensure that our attractions are properly taken care of,” he noted.
Mrs Justina Marigold Assan, the Central Regional Minister, in a statement delivered on her behalf, reiterated the need for the tourism sector to strategically integrate technology and innovation into businesses to stay ahead of the curve.
He indicated that the use of modern technological tools had transformed how people interacted with and consumed tourism, citing the use of data analytics to tailor products to meet the evolving demands of modern travellers.
“Technology is able to enhance the visitor’s experience from augmented reality to virtual reality that allow potential travellers to experience the destination even before stepping foot there,” she said.
“By leveraging data-driven decision, we can create an ecosystem that encourages the exchange of ideas, knowledge and best practices.”
Mr Andrew Egyapa Mercer, the Tourism Minister, said the PPPF had since 2021 successfully empowered stakeholders, driven investments, advocated policy reforms, strengthened tourism infrastructure, fostered community engagement and created many employment opportunities.
He entreated industry players to constantly leverage the forum to share ideas, build partnerships and create practical strategies for a brighter future.
“Let us continue to engage, collaborate and innovate for the sustainable growth of the tourism and hospitality industry,” he said.
Source: GNA
