Omolara Adagunodo
Omolara Adagunodo, Country Manager for Jumia Travel Ghana, has called on government to support the country’s hospitality and tourism industry by addressing the numerous challenges which include the lack of skilled personnel, high cost of services and poor infrastructure.
Speaking at the launch of the Hospitality Report 2017 recently in Accra, she said the industry would reach its highest level and attract tourists locally and beyond if the challenges are addressed.
The report, which was compiled after several months of research and interaction with stakeholders and policy makers in Ghana’s tourism and hospitality Industry, touched on the various trends in the sector.
It also gave facts and figures about the country over the past year.
Domestic travel spending generated 56.7 percent of direct travel and tourism GDP in 2016 compared to 43.3 percent for visitor exports, the report revealed.
Again, in 2016, the report indicated that Ghana ranked 4th in Africa, with her smartphone user penetration of 14 percent only falling behind South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya.
“The success of e-Commerce can also be attributed to the high number of smartphone users, which increased to 21% of the total population in 2016. It is forecast to reach 18 million users in 2017,” the report further noted.
Managing Director of Jumia Travel West Africa, Kushal Dutta, in a remark, called on government to create a more conducive atmosphere for prospective players in the sector to create more jobs.
He explained that despite the challenges in developing domestic tourism, there was still unlimited potential, adding that Ghana, as a country, must increase efforts to tap into this sector.
The report further revealed that global revenue for the total online travel booking segment was $178.8 billion in 2016, which is expected to grow to $288 billion by 2021.
Paul Midy, CEO Jumia Travel Ghana, said Ghana has great potential in tourism & hospitality and that his outfit was devoted to using the internet and technology to grow the industry and impact lives.
“Being Africa’s leading online travel agent brings an added responsibility to provide the best services at the most unbeatable rates,” he noted.
According to him, as a country, which is renowned to be a pacesetter in many facets of Africa’s developing economy, Ghana is a great part of the overall contribution to African development, particularly in tourism and hospitality.
Jumia Travel is a leading online travel agent and hotel booking website on the continent.
By Abigail Owiredu-Boateng