By Hafsa Obeng / Christabel Kporvie
Accra, Sept. 22, GNA – Tourism operators in the Greater Accra Region have been recognised for excellence in service delivery and contributions to the growth and promotion of tourism at the 2026 Greater Accra Regional Tourism Awards.
The awards, organised by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Greater Accra was held on the theme: “Celebrating Excellence Beyond Borders – The Black Star Experience.”
The event brought together stakeholders from the tourism and hospitality industry, government officials, traditional leaders, and other partners to celebrate achievements and encourage continued improvement in the sector.
It featured 21 categories across three broad areas of the tourism industry, accommodation, travel trade, and food and beverage, recognising the efforts of tourism practitioners to improve service delivery and the visitor experience.
Mrs. Maame Efua Houadjeto, Chief Executive Officer, GTA said the Authority was repositioning the tourism sector through digitalisation, stronger regulation, improved standards, and better use of data.
She said the Tourism Reset was anchored by the Ghana Tourism Information System (GTIS), which would integrate key processes including registration, licensing and renewal, tourism levy filing and payment, establishment records, and public verification.
“This would support more efficient registration, licensing, monitoring and verification while helping the Authority identify establishments requiring attention or compliance action,” she added.
Mrs. Houadjeto said the system would make it easier for tourism businesses to engage with the Authority, improve compliance, and strengthen public confidence in tourism establishments.
She said the value of the system went beyond convenience, noting that reliable information would enable the Authority to better understand the tourism ecosystem and support regulation, planning, investment decisions, and policy development.
The CEO said Ghana must also change how it measured the value of tourism by looking beyond visitor numbers to how much visitors spent, how long they stayed, where they travelled and how much of the resulting economic activity reached local communities.
She said the Authority would continue to promote destination development, strengthen tourism value chains, and create opportunities for hotels, restaurants, tour operators, transport providers, artisans, creative businesses, and young people.
Mrs. Houadjeto called for stronger domestic tourism, saying Ghanaians should be encouraged to discover the country’s heritage, culture and attractions and travel across the regions.
She said maintaining high standards in accommodation, safety, sanitation, service delivery, and the overall visitor experience was critical to building confidence in Ghana as a quality destination.
She said the Authority’s objective was to build a tourism sector that was digitally enabled, properly regulated, and committed to high standards, with reliable data supporting better decision-making and investment.
Mrs. Roberta Dawson-Amoah, Greater Accra Regional Director, GTA, said the awards celebrated entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, tour operators, travel agents, guides, cultural practitioners, and other stakeholders whose work continued to shape tourism in the region.
She congratulated the nominees and award recipients and urged tourism operators to continually improve the visitor experience, embrace technology, innovate and tell Ghana’s story more powerfully.
Mrs. Dawson-Amoah said Greater Accra, as Ghana’s gateway to the world, offered a unique combination of heritage, culture, cuisine, entertainment, nightlife, and creativity, giving the region the potential to become a leading tourism and creative hub in Africa.
She said the Black Star Experience was not only about attracting visitors but creating authentic and memorable experiences capable of transcending borders.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mrs. Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, said the awards demonstrated the dedication, creativity and professionalism of people and organisations contributing to the region’s tourism development.
She urged tourism practitioners to embrace innovation and technology, protect the environment, promote domestic tourism, and provide excellent customer service.
Mrs. Ocloo said every tourism professional is an ambassador of Ghana and that the quality of service provided to visitors could influence their impression of the country.
She said collaboration among stakeholders was essential to building a tourism industry that was competitive, sustainable, and inclusive.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante Agyei
Reporter: Hafsa Obeng/ Christabel Kporvie
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