Hotel proprietors must employ qualified staff - Minister

Ho, Feb. 19, GNA - Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City on Thursday said his ministry would soon evolve a policy to compel hotel proprietors to employ qualified staff before the hotels are licensed.

He said the employment of unskilled personnel deliberately "because you do not want to pay higher salaries" was a drawback to the industry, which must be stopped to enable the sector to move forward. This was contained in a speech read for him at a one-day workshop on ECOWAS standards for Hotel Management and Services at Ho. It was under the theme: "New Harmonised Standards for Accommodation and Catering Establishments in Ghana."

The workshop was aimed at developing a uniform standard for managers as a means of encouraging and facilitating the joint promotion of tourism products in all member states of ECOWAS, after it was adopted by the Council of Ministers of member countries in 1991.

Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey expressed regret that the standards continued to fall as evident from reports, criticisms and complaints received from tourists and called for the re-assessment and the elimination of such disparities in consultation with stakeholders.

He said the Ministry would improve the training, infrastructure, curricula and syllabi to churn out experts and professionals to man receptive facilities to conform to international standards and experts in the private sector.

Mr Edwin Owusu-Mensah, Acting Deputy Executive Director of the Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) in-charge of Operations, said year 2006 was set for compliance by all member states by which time standards would have been harmonised for quality delivery in the tourism industry. He said some of the challenging areas for convergence of standards were lighting, including voltage of lights in rooms, flooring, facilities for the physically challenged, aesthetic beauty of infrastructure and cuisine.

Mr Owusu-Mensah said the GTB would offer technical advice towards the achievement of these goals.

Nana Adjei Twinnin I, President of Ghana Hotels Association, commended government for designating Eredec Hotel in Koforidua for the training of qualified personnel, which would boost efforts at developing the industry.

He said 48 out of the Volta region's total enrolment of 70 were members of the Association and urged owners and operators to join their fold to enable them enjoy benefits towards enhancing a holistic development of the sector.

During question time participants called for reprieve due to the high utility rates and the multiplicity of taxes they pay making it difficult to break even or undertake development projects in their hotels.

The participants requested government to grant them soft loans to enable them meet the required standards.