- GTA reminds hoteliers
The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), is urging all hoteliers to comply with the law by operating with an HND certificate or a five-year working experience on the job.
The move, the authority maintained, is to ensure standards in the hotel and hospitality industry, while offering maximum benefit to patrons.
The law
“The law stipulates that persons who apply for licenses as hotel managers must at least have an HND certificate in tourism or related programme from a university recognized by the GTA. An alternative to that criteria is a five-year experience as a hotel worker. Those are the principles and either of the two is accepted,” Standards and Quality Assurance Manager of the GTA, Mr. Alex Boakye told the Goldstreet Business.
He indicated that the need for training of industry players has become compelling hence, the GTA’s resolved to make the exercise a regular feature of activities.
“The requirement for an HND and the five years of experience, is a new obligation stated in the new law which was passed 2016, and we are now going to enforce it after the national training and sensitization programme,” Mr. Boakye disclosed.
Qualification uncertainties
Ghana currently has an estimated number of 3,000 hotels. There are more than 50 star- rated hotels nationwide. It is however not clear how many of these facilities have met the requirements.
Training session for industry players
Speaking at a training session for hotel managers from Greater Accra and Tema Region, Mr. Boakye explained that the industry could only excel when standards are adhered to.
The training, which is an ongoing nationwide event, was to sensitize operators and industry players in the accommodation, food, beverage and the entertainment sector on the regulations that set the standards for their businesses.
Focal areas of the training include the food and beverage service, front office operations, housekeeping, role of management in the administration of accommodation facilities among others.
“We’ve been to Eastern and Volta regions, Central region, Ashanti region and the Brong Ahafo region to train industry players. We look forward to going to the remaining regions,” Mr. Boakye averred.
Training facilitator
The facilitator of the training, Mr. Gian Franco Angileri of the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa said the programme will bring substantial benefit to participants and enable them to offer first class service to clients.
“Ghana has the potentials to increase visitor turnouts and clients from the sub-region and the continent. This is the time to take advantage of standards to promote the hospitality industry,” he said.
By Wisdom Jonny-Nuekpe
