The first National Tourism Week designed to appreciate employees and customers in the sector has been launched.

To begin from October 4, this year, the celebration has been designed to help take stock of customer service delivery levels within business establishments and improve on them through strategic and sustainable training programmes to enhance more job creation.

The Tourism Week, which was launched by the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Mark yesterday, will target employees and customers in the area of food and hospitality, transportation, attraction sites, hotels, arts, culture monuments, museums, finance and Insurance, retail, communication and ecotourism.

As part of activities, some operators in the sector will offer special discount packages on products and services to customers, while a clean-up exercise will be organised, among other things.

Contribution

The Managing Director of Service Excellent Foundation and brain behind the initiative, Mr Caleb Kofie, explained that the week would be dedicated to acknowledging the contribution of industry employees and customers in the tourism sector.

He added that the objective of the programme was to recognise and appreciate customers for their unique contributions towards business and reward employees who championed service excellence for their respective organisations.

Mr Kofie further noted that the initiative was also to highlight the role and impact of customer service delivery on organisations

He noted that although the global impact of COVID-19 had disrupted major business routines, employees across all sectors of the economy continued to deliver services across all channels to external customers sometimes at the peril of their lives.

“Once again COVID-19 has shown us why we must value and cherish our customers as an important part of our business.

“It is our fullest conviction that it is only proper as a beautiful sector to take a pause in the month of October to appreciate our employees and wonderful customers,” he said.

Mr Kofie called on corporate bodies to partner the initiative to make it a successful and memorable one.

Historic

For her part, the President of the Ghana Tourism Federation, Mrs Bella Ayayee Ahu, said the move was historic since it was the first time that it would be held.

It was equally refreshing because it was tailored at the industry’s development.

She commended the organisers for the initiative and urged all stakeholders to support it.

“I think it is the right beginning to help create more jobs because if our customers are satisfied and are happy, we get the return visit, build our brands and create the jobs,” she said.