Business News of Thursday, 10 October 2024

Source: starrfm.com.gh

GTA, Hoteliers Associations pledge full support to GSS data collection

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The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Ghana Progressive Hoteliers Association (GPHA), and the Ghana Hotels Association (GHA) have committed to fully supporting the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) in its upcoming accommodation unit survey. The survey, organized by the GSS, aims to create a comprehensive database for the hospitality industry using a detailed questionnaire to gather data from selected accommodation units.

At a stakeholder consultation for the survey, Dr. Edward Ackah Nyameke, President of the Ghana Hotels Association, praised the GSS for its commitment to generating critical data.

“There’s so much that we miss out because we don’t have a system that is structured to capture every information concerning the industry which is why this particular survey is very important. The survey is giving a holistic picture of the hotel industry, and I think it is very necessary, and we are happy that this is being done,” he emphasized.

Rev. Emmanuel Geadda-Asando, President of the Ghana Progressive Hoteliers Association, also expressed optimism about the survey’s potential to provide accurate and reliable data.

“With our contribution, reliability and involvement we believe that we are going to give an accurate data that is going to speak for the accommodation unit. If the Ghana statistical service is going to help the industry and to come out with a data that is going to speak for the tourism sector, I know for sure that this will go a long way so that we will have accurate data that will show the contribution of the hospitality or the tourism industry into the GDP,” Rev. Geadda-Asando added.

In response, Dr. Ebenezer Kojo Ocran, Coordinator of the 2024 Accommodation Unit Survey, assured stakeholders that the GSS would dispatch skilled field officers to ensure the data collection process is thorough and effective.

“From November 1, 2024, up until October 2025 we are going to collect accommodation unit data from 1,077 selected accommodation unit out of 9,602. We are sending 113 interviewers and supervisors to the selected establishment, and we expect the hoteliers to help us in this direction by helping our field officer to collect this data to be able to compile this information,” Dr. Ocran disclosed.