By Seth Danquah
Takoradi, Sept. 10, GNA – The Western Regional Director of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Mr George Nkrumah Ansere, says the use of the internet and rise in E-Commerce for goods and services were merits of the digital economy, which have helped to reduce corruption in the market.
He said the advent of technology, which had enhanced globalisation, especially in the post-COVID-19 era, has given room for digital and traditional economies to merge, giving rise to many new trends and start-up ideas.
Mr Ansere said this at a capacity building workshop organised by IGOGHANA (an online tour agency), in collaboration with the Authority for stakeholders in the tourism sector.
The workshop, on the theme: “Developing a Cutting-edge Tourism Package in an Emerging Digital Economy”, aimed at exposing participants to the untapped opportunities and best practices in the business of tourism.
It further offered opportunities for brainstorming to generate ideas, build synergies, develop a city tour and a marketable tourism package among other things for the stakeholders in the Western Region.
Participants included managers in the hospitality, travel and tour industry, tour guides and members of the Traditional Caterers and Drinking Bar Operators associations.
Mr Ansere urged them to fulfil the service expectations of digitally-empowered customers, offer more experiences at great costs, and become more innovative to respond to the highly competitive environment.
He described the workshop as timely to empower participants to take full advantage of the digital economy in the post-COVID dispensation for improved and profitable services.
The Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, who spoke through zoom, said the Western Region was endowed with a lot of tourist attractions, some of which were untapped, hence the need for stakeholders to build their capacity to take advantage of the opportunities available.
He announced that the Twin City of Sekondi-Takoradi was emerging as the face of Christmas in Ghana and the world at large with its “Takoradi Bronya” initiative and other corresponding programmes like the “Ankors festival” and street carnivals.
He, thus, implored the participants to leverage on the opportunities and position their businesses to rake in the maximum benefits and tap into the huge opportunities that existed in the digital market to improve on their ventures.
Mr Seth Ameyaw Danquah, a tourism advocate, who facilitated the workshop, said the COVID-19 pandemic had accelerated the need for digital businesses in the form of digital communications and online sales, with travel businesses relying on a range of digital processes to be efficient and competitive.
To attract the tour operator market around the world, industry players should include digital processes in their operations to gain competitive advantage, he said.
Mr Danquah, who spoke on: “Positioning your business for gains in an emerging digital economy”, said almost all the big companies in the world like Google, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon took advantage of the digital economy to become giants in the digital world.
GNA