The Chief Executive of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Mr. Akwasi Agyeman has intimated that, in as much as Kotoka International Airport (KIA) has been opened, there are a few spots in the tourism industry that need patching which includes stimulating demand.
“There are other things that need to be added amidst reopening. For example, we need to stimulate demand. The steering committee of the “Beyond and Return” had a meeting and we are looking at patching some of the few spots and more or less outdoor the pillars very soon.”
Emphasizing on the reopening of KIA, The Managing Director of Adansi Travel, Mr. Gideon Asare, suggested that, the re-opening of the Kotoka International Airport does not mean that, the current state of the tourism sector in Ghana is changing automatically to a booming state.
Speaking in an interview on the Pm Express, Mr. Asare intimated that though the tourism sector has expressed excitement about the re-opening of KIA, it does not automatically solve the pending problems associated with the tourism sector.
“There are other factors that will come into play. The tourism sector is not changing from our current state to a booming state. We have now started the engine; you have a journey to go and you now have a fuel, so you start the engine and look forward to the journey. That is what the opening of the boarders is like. Once the car is started, you can now move. We are back to business. It is going to take time to strategize and see how we can take into place all the measures that came with the opening so that we can really assure our clients of safety and also to inform them of destinations they can travel amidst COVID-19”.
Commending President Akuffo Addo for the bold initiative, The Executive Assistant Manager of Labadi Beach Hotel, Mr. David Eduaful stated that, the re-opening of KIA is a psychological boost to the tourism industry.
He further noted that, resumption of Kotoka International Airport is a step in the right direction and has ignited the excitement of the tourism industry players.
According to him, the last quarter of the year will dwindle fortunes in the tourism industry making the last quarter, the best quarter of the year.
“The reopening of KIA is a psychological booster to the industry. People are excited about it. It is a step in the right direction. Industry players are excited and what we see is change in the industry. Already, we have started receiving enquires and this is what is going to happen moving forward. “The last quarter will be very exciting”.
“I will just take you back to last year. Last year was one of the best years in the history of the country talking about the “Year of Return” and this year, we were looking at “Beyond the Return” which was going to be fantastic. I am sure Mr. Agyemang would attest to that. But COVID-19 came in and the ports closed down. Nobody could come in. Plans were put on hold. Now the President has announced the re-opening of the airport. Most of them did not cancel their bookings and we still have those bookings intact. Most of them have come back to us and I can assure you that, in the last week of December, those hotels are already full and so the last quarter of 2020, even though it would not be like what we had last year, it is going to be better than the second and third quarter of 2020.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo in his address to the nation on Sunday, 31st August announced that, Kotoka International Airport will be reopened by Tuesday, 1st September. This significant measure, has stimulated a lot of excitement for the Tourism sector because, the close down of boarders had affected the industry by $171 million loss.
