Ghana has held its 1st National Tourism Customer Experience Leaders Summit 2021 in the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra.
According to the seasoned panelists, it is about time Ghana and Africa see the role and impact of customer care service on corporate governance.
The seasoned panelists who were drawn from the tourism and the hospitality industry also discussed the impact of government policies on businesses within the industry.
On her part, the Executive Director of Hospitality Amplified in the United States, Daphne Spencer said “Ownership is one of the things that is missing because in the U.S, with every Organisation, I have worked for, there are core values that the organizations have from the onset when you are being onboarded, you become a part of that company and they invest in you”
“In Hilton, on my day one in my office and they have my favorite flowers and there was a bottle of water that welcomed me and a welcome note from the team”
She added that companies need to start treating their internal guests, i.e. employees with the same priority and regard as they treat pay-in guests.
She added that when such gestures are provided to employees, they feel welcomed and work whole-heartedly.
“Every individual wants these three things. That is to be heard, understood, and to feel that they are off-value to you so Organisations have to adopt the concept that you have an internal guest, they are also equally important as the external paying guests.
President of the Ghana Hotels Association, Dr. Edward Ackah Nyamike Jnr said “The Hotel Industry survives on the movements of people. From February to April, we got to ground zero due to the restrictions of movements. Because of the restrictions both locally and internationally”
He hinted that over the period, there have been different responses from various hotels based on the budgets of the people.
“On the average, we are yet to get to the pre-covid era, even tho the restrictions have been removed”
He stressed that he is confident the Hotel Industry will bounce back.
President of the Car Rental Association of Ghana, Seth Yeboah Ocran said “You often hear this word ‘freedom of association’ in this country but if you look at the legal fraternity, if you do not belong to the Ghana Bar Association, you can’t practice law in Ghana. Let me use the car rental, my member. You will realize that only 6% or 7% of people die on our roads each day. I can tell you that with car rental operators, we have accident-free records because somebody is watching. We have trackers in the cars”
He advised Authorities to take a second look at certain laws in the country.
Mr. Ocran commended the Ghana Tourism Authority for its good work.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Akwasi Agyemang also said “I will call it a shared effort and responsibility”
He charged Organisations to see the need of giving their workers and guests better treatments.
Mr. Agyemang praised the staff of Labadi Beach Hotel for exhibiting a high level of professionalism when it emerged that a client had left her purse of which she later found with its content intact.
Also, high commissioners from Rwanda, Kenya, and Nigeria took turns to make solidarity statements and applauded the service excellence foundation for establishing the national tourism customer service week in Ghana, and pledge to offer their support in the future.
They were drawn from Rwanda, Nigeria, South Africa, Nambia, Kenya, Liberia, Togo, and Ghana.
The Deputy Minister used the occasion to outdoor Mr. Caleb Kofie as the Tourism Customer Service Brand Ambassador.
Watch the video below:
Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith
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