The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and the Beyond the Return Secretariat have unveiled the list of officially endorsed events and activities for the 2022 December in GH with 96 events making the final cut out of the over 200 entries received by the Beyond the Return Secretariat.
As part of the activities’ launch, members of the Ghana Traditional Caterers Association were taken through training on customer service delivery in anticipation of the many activities earmarked for December and early January.
At the event today, November 14, at the Accra International Conference Centre, Minister of Tourism, Arts Culture, Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal said Ghana was looking to realise a lot of tourism revenue within the December in GH period.
“We are looking forward to at least 100,000 tourists between now and early January, next year, and if each spends $2000, that’s $200 million injected into our economy which very important for us.”
He added that it was imperative that service providers within the tourism and hospitality value chain; more especially, food vendors stepped up their game in providing quality and excellent service as the country hosts the trove of visitors during the yuletide. This, he said was sure to guarantee repeat tourism.
At the heart of effective customer service delivery, the Minister added, was an opportunity to make Ghana a proud country in West Africa. Dr. Awal reminded the caterers that “You are not only selling Ghanaian food, but Ghana’s culture.”
CEO of GTA, Akwasi Agyeman, stressed that the food service rendered by the traditional caterers is important in that “food is the bedrock of tourism.”
He noted that the training programme was part of broader stakeholder engagements the Authority and the Beyond the Return Secretariat were embarking on with various groups ahead of December in GH. So far, Akwasi revealed that issues such as security, cleanliness, customer care and many others have come up strong among concerns expressed by event organisers and vendors.
Seasoned customer service consultant, Yvonne MacCarthy facilitated the training.
December in Gh since its inception in 2019 has become the country’s biggest celebration of all things cultural, entertainment, adventure, nightlife, fashion, gastronomy, tours and Community service and has effectively made Ghana the epicenter of Christmas celebrations in the world.
The tourism brand has become popular among tourists; especially the African diaspora community, attracting thousands each year to Ghana within the Christmas period.
There are events that have become favourites among patrons each year. They inlcude: Afrochella, Little Havana, Taste of Ghana, Afro Nation, YouTube Creators Festival, Westside Carnival, Rhythms on da Runway and the Roverman Productions Festival of Plays.
“We’re expecting this year to be the biggest for ‘December in Gh’,” said Annabelle McKenzie, Manager of the Beyond the Return Secretariat. “We are excited about welcoming both returning and first-time travellers to Ghana. We’ve endorsed more events that touch on the different pillars for the Beyond the Return initiative.”
Some of the new events to the calendar include Ada Riverfest, Jollof & Afrobeat Festival, Afrobeats Bazaar, Ghana Water Polo Tournament, Nkyinkyim Museum Freedom Parade and First Time Home Buyers in Ghana Seminar.
A complete list of the endorsed events can be found at www.beyondthereturngh.com
By: Samuel Obeng Appah
