The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has initiated stakeholder consultations on draft regulations to strengthen standards, professionalism and quality assurance in the country’s events and tourism industry.

The Authority said the proposed regulatory framework, together with the Ghana Tourism Information System (GTIS), would improve compliance, enhance consumer confidence, promote transparency and create a level playing field for operators while supporting the government’s drive to position tourism as a key pillar of economic transformation.

The Chief Executive Officer of the GTA, Mrs Maame Efua Houadjeto, said this at a stakeholder engagement in Accra, on the draft Multi Purpose Establishments and Event Services Providers Regulations and the introduction of the Ghana Tourism Information System.

She said the regulations would strengthen industry standards, improve professionalism, enhance customer confidence, ensure quality assurance and create a fair operating environment for businesses within the tourism sector.

Mrs Houadjeto explained that the GTIS would provide the Authority with a credible national database of tourism enterprises to improve service delivery, strengthen regulatory compliance, support evidence based policymaking and provide reliable data for investment promotion.

She said the initiatives aligned with President John Dramani Mahama’s vision of making tourism a major driver of economic transformation and complemented the government’s 24 hour economy policy, particularly the Black Star Experience initiative, which seeks to promote entertainment, culture, hospitality and tourism as engines of economic growth.

According to her, a well-regulated tourism industry supported by a robust digital information system would attract investment, extend visitor experiences, create sustainable employment opportunities for the youth and increase foreign exchange earnings.

Mrs Houadjeto urged industry players to actively contribute to the consultation process to ensure that the final regulations reflected the practical needs of the sector.

The Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Operations at the GTA, Mr Ekow Sampson, said the rapid growth of event centres, conference facilities and event related businesses had made it necessary to establish a modern regulatory framework to improve professionalism, safety and service quality.

He said the proposed regulations would protect consumers, strengthen compliance and improve the competitiveness of Ghana’s tourism and events industry.

Mr Sampson commended the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice as well as members of the drafting committee for supporting the development of the regulations.

He said the GTIS would simplify business registration and licensing, facilitate online applications and renewals, improve compliance monitoring, reduce processing time and enhance transparency in service delivery.

The Deputy Director of the Standards and Quality Assurance Department of the GTA, Ama Akoto, said the stakeholder consultations had so far received valuable contributions from key industry players.

She said discussions had focused on mandatory minimum requirements and specific standards for multi-purpose establishments and event service providers in line with the Tourism Act, 2011 (Act 817).