The Ghana Tourism Federation has trained over 25,000 operators in the excellent customer service and food safety management in a pilot project to ensure the maintenance of the needed standards in the tourism sector.

Mr David Nana Anim, President of the Ghana Tourism Federation, disclosed this in Tema during the closing ceremony of one-week training for 93 members of the Ghana Progressive Hotels Association, Greater Accra Region.

Mr Anim explained that the training programme was initiated in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts to raise the falling standards.

He said a curriculum was drawn by the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) for the training of members with the first phase targeting 18,000 members from car rentals, hotels, transport and traditional caterers among other groupings.

According to him, in future, the certificate acquired from these capacity training would be part of prerequisites to practice in the sector.

He therefore urged all operators to take advantage of the training to acquire the needed skills to maintain standards in their practice.

Mr Anim reminded them that Ghana was competing with other African countries for tourists therefore the need to treat customers visiting their facilities professionally.

Dr John Yanney, Administrator of Dolphins Training and Management Limited, partners in the capacity building programme, said there has been a drastic drop in the hospitality service in Ghana over the years.

Dr Yanney noted that the training would help increase the turnover of tourism in the country adding that tourists would revisit a country that have enough services for them to spend on.

Pastor Emmanuel Geadda Asando, Greater Accra Regional Chairman of Ghana Progressive Hotels Association, said his outfit targeted to train about 480 members but has so far trained 515 since the training commenced in October 2014.

Pastor Asando commended the sector Ministry and the Ghana Tourism Federation for the initiative and called for more of such training for members.