Ghanaians in Diaspora, The Ghana Black Stars, and the Africa World Cup World is re-positioning Ghana onto a different level in history. Given the current hiccups is the rest of Africa we could count ourselves very lucky indeed although the work has just begun.
These pivotal areas are strategic in reshaping our economic stand. On the other hand we lack the expertise in keeping our clean and tidy to reach out to the tourist we are aiming to attract into our country.
Given that tourism is becoming the main income-generating factor in most countries for example, Gambia, Turkey, Malaysia, Britain, Thailand why are we not investing in a daily cleaning exercise through our country.
There is no need of having a daily cleaning in the South alone and leaving other region to clean. Surely, a systematic cleaning routine in all our regions would ensure that we strictly maintain a uniform standard.
There are certain qualities necessary to enter this particular industry for example customer care, customer services, marketing skills, good healthy life styles etc.
Certainly most Ghanaians feel confident Ghana is ready to enter such a competition with other players in the tourism market.
However, sanitation around our coastal areas questionable and have not received any clear-cut budget for improvement.
Indeed, sanitation around Ghana beaches is diabolical!
There are no toilets facilities at every beach resort or open beaches with washing facilities?
In some countries and I will site Britain beach hut cost over £10,000 to buy. This is basically a small shed. Why are we not cashing in thus maximising the potential of our local beaches as compared to other countries
Our nearest neighbour, Togo with its limited coastal areas used to be the Paris of Ghana with shops, café’ boutiques all along the coast.
Does Ghana have the above mentioned facilities buzzing with an ambience of tourism?
Where do the vulnerable poor locals all along our coastal area use as toilets instead of seeing the beaches as cash cows?
Has the Minister of Trade and Tourism been around such places during the late evening, night or early morning to see that sort of activities he wishes to show the tourist booking a flight to come to Ghana?
Hygiene around Ghanaian beaches is just not acceptable.
Would introducing sanitation inspector help to improve situation along our beaches?
A comprehensive clean up of the state of sanitation around this industry is needed to match the facilities Ghana offers the tourists, if we want to stand a chance.
The Minister of Tourism must have visited many countries and liasing with his counterparts globally or via research?
Does these visits have any impact on Ghana in terms of improvement along our local beaches? Any improvements will benefit locals as well as tourists.
Is there a community development fund set up with backing from the rural banks to ensure that every community takes ownership of providing toilet facilities along each town, village or city?
What is the role of the community leader or chief or police in this tourist industry?
One would assume that, the Minister is actively working in partnership with the person that matters to the tourists, the local’s leaders.
Do Ghana has a community development worker who links up with the community and reports back finding through a qualitative research or survey for the minister?
Does Ghana coastal areas have trained lifeguards?
Do we have signs posts indicating directions to our beaches?
Are there any lazy chairs (deckchair) or parasols (umbrellas) for hire along the beaches, or bike hire and etc?
There shops or mini desert stall selling peanut cakes, cooked peanuts, coconuts with straw, coconut cake, tea and coffee, locally made fruit drinks and other snacks.
Are there any shops selling mini buckets, plastic spade, plastic shovel to be used by children for sandcastles, catching small fishes and others, swimming costume, plaster or first aid box, sweets, post cards and stamps all along every beach? Also sun lotions, shea butter cream in min mercy cream tub could be sold for 3 - 6, 000 each.
Hey! What is the business deal Ghana is showing off to tourist? Are you ready to cash in on that?
Why do we want the tourist to go all the way to Accra to buy a postcard or stamp to send off to friends? Would it be better to sell these items around beaches?
Are we creative and thinking ahead of the tourists at all?
Why do we have to plead poverty whenever we see the tourists instead of doing opening and closing a business deal?
The tourists should be seen friends business partners potential investors and us.
We need to use all marketing strategies to ensure that tourist get a good deal while on our soil.
If any one fails to make a good profit then they may need to go back to the drawing board or back to the marketing principles to evaluate where they went wrong.
Using the right friendly marketing skill, the right tones and right soft words ensures a satisfactory outcome in business terms.
Are there restaurants along the beaches with tight lid bins all along our beaches?
Have we considered setting up areas for hawkers to perch their wares instead of tormenting the tourists?
Though, tourists love to shop locally and love the bargaining deal with hawkers the Minister of Trade may need to set the boundaries for them to operate along the beaches.
Tourists love to soak up the sun, as it is very limited where they come from.
In Ghana, most of us feel rather uncomfortable when tourists strip down to soak the sun. We could zone some beach areas for sunbathers – no one should be offended then – and it would help concentrate tourist services next to the customers. However we should not bar access to local people – we need their support, we just need a few rules and zones to make them feel inclusive in the deal.
Wind breakers would be ideal item for them to hire for Sun bathers privacy (stripping down to soak the sun)
This wind breaker would be a good money generating income for others tailors or the cloth repairers.
The material for making the windbreakers is the red & white bags or blue &white bags many use for travelling. It needs to be sewn with strong peg or sticks in between then. Perhaps 18 INS apart.
These windbreakers is easy to make and any one working around katamato could use it and hire it for the tourist for at least 10, 000 cedis a session use.
Water is essential and light refreshment around the beaches or mini restaurant would be ideal. I’m sure the Minister of trade and Tourism during his visit to other market leaders in this trade realise how far Ghana needs to catch up.
The whole country needs to be educated daily on once a week on TV, radios, markets about the trick of the tourist industry. Getting it right from the start is crucial to the success of Ghana’s economy.
If the Minister does not start educating the public now disaster would follow soon
Do we have many co-operative shops for the tourist to pop in other than kiosk and markets?
It might be worth considering an open debate for the public to air their views about our newly found industry. The Minister may find that the public may also see things from a three-dimension point of view and though painful to hear it adds an impetus in the bid to a positive image this new industry.
Ghanaians should not unload their poverty status to the tourist but rather start planning now what strategies they would need in order to make decent money in the tourism business.
There is money for everyone to make in the tourist trade.
Business opportunities along our local beaches could some amusement arcades, play grounds, volley ball pitches, casinos, Internet café’, shops selling ice creams, etc.
Hygiene and food handling is also a hot stuff. Foods sold openly for example even fresh bread should be perhaps sold inside instead of being expose to dirt, wind and rain.
It appears these areas may need to fully address to enable the tourists to recommend their experiences to others.
Although the Minister of Trade and his team are actively working this new industry, I would recommend they try and visit our coastal lines at night to witness the unwelcoming activities at dawn, and night. It would then be worth addressing those concerns observed before embarking on a full scale promotion of tourism in Ghana on CNN
It would be helpful if The Ministry of Trade and Tourism does monitor, review and evaluate our service. Perhaps through a system of evaluating every contact made with each tourist in order to in corporate any negative feedback into improvement with the services provided.
Would it be worth ensuring that our food handlers under take an annual mandatory training about food handling? Thereby display certificates to indicate that an individual have passed a routine food and hygiene mini course.
Hygiene and tourism does go hand in hand and as such the responsibility of every community leader e.g. the church, mosques, chiefs and community to join forces and play a key role in making our dreams in the tourist industry a true reality.
