Nana Twum Barimah I, the Manager, Research Department at the GTA, said until operators in the industry united under one umbrella, it would be difficult for them to attract the attention of government in addressing certain operational challenges.

Speaking at a meeting with hoteliers, restaurants and guest house operators in Sunyani, Nana Barimah assured that the GTA was poised to ensure that the hospitality industry was made attractive to enhance the growth of tourism in the country.

Organised by the GTA, the meeting sought to introduce the participants to the use of Information and Communication Technology for operational excellence.   Nana Barimah said the Authority was aware of challenges such as the multiplicity of payments of taxes, high utility bills and intermittent power outages, and emphasised its commitment to ensure that those challenges were addressed for the industry to progress.

He said the GTA had taken advantage of ICT to help meet the demands of clients and stakeholders as well as enhance operational standards. Nana Barimah said very soon the Authority would develop micro websites for those operators who did not have the facility as a means to showcase the tourism potentials in the country.

 He stressed that the tourism industry was a major player to rapid socio-economic growth and development, saying if the sector was well-managed it could enhance the country's foreign exchange earnings.

 Nana Barimah said with effective use of ICT, a country like Dubai had been able to sell her tourism products and potentials, saying as a result about 20 million tourists visited that country every year.

Mr. Alex Boakye, the Manager of Quality Assurance, GTA, said with the support of ICT, operational licenses were being applied online, adding that ideally the Authority could issue licenses within 21 days.

He said the Authority was committed to promoting responsible tourism and entreated stakeholders in the industry to adhere to operational standards. Mr. Boakye noted that some syndicates were using the name of the GTA to dupe unsuspecting people and advised operators in the industry to be vigilant and report suspicious characters to the Authority.

He added that very soon the Authority would undertake a "single window destination" project which would improve on the visibility of the GTA and its stakeholders across the world.

Mr. Boakye called for support and effective collaboration among all the stakeholders in the development of the project to improve on standards of the sector for greater impact on the socio-economic development of the country.