Eliminating ‘illiteracy’ from the hospitality sector

Every once in a long while, Ghana’s name pops up on the horizon as one of the great destinations in Africa. Indeed, in 2012, we ranked among the top 10 in the world, according to Frommer’s “LIST OF TOP DESTINATIONS”.

Frommer’s list also clearly spelt out why. It listed Ghana because “Ghana provides a perfect introduction to African travel... The Ghanaian coast is archetypal West Africa.”

Great words. Unfortunately, however, the rankings have changed. Ghana has not featured among tourism’s big leagues for a while – even in the African league.

We cannot blame the economy; after all, the Gambia does not have a more buoyant economy than ours. Yet the Gambia lives, literally, off tourism. Need I mention Kenya, Morocco and Algeria!

Budget

The truth of the matter is that in Ghana we do serious talk but not serious business. To know the attitude of Ghanaian governments to tourism, just take a look at the national budget’s allocation to tourism over the years. Yet, throughout the world, the business volume of tourism equals or even surpasses that of oil exports, ‎food products or automobiles.

From the little I have been privileged to see, smell, read and hear, the present government is determined to make money on the back of tourism. So far, the words coming from the mouth of President Akufo Addo’s Tourism Minister, Catherine Afeku, sound promising. We wait to see.

They sound promising because she has declared war on poor service standards. While not intending to sound too pessimistic, I ask myself whether quality is attainable in Ghana.

It takes training. In Kenya and elsewhere, hospitality training institutions abound, offering degrees, even up to the level of Master of Arts; very meticulous in the training of front office staff, tour guides, car rental drivers etc.  Indeed, in Thailand and Sri Lanka, drivers of the tourist coaches are university graduates. Behind the steering wheel, they double as knowledgeable and eloquent tour guides. These countries know the value of quality service.

Illiteracy

I have only one definition of illiteracy, and it is not limited to people who do not have classmates. It includes half-baked professionals and people whose negative attitude turns away precious patrons.

For example, did you know that in a hotel, it is unacceptable that a guest is allocated and taken to a room only to discover that the room has not been cleaned after the last guest left?

It is illiteracy if the customer who has ordered for wine, whisky or cognac is not first allowed to taste or smell a shot of the drink in the appropriate glass, or if the customer is not allowed to exercise his/her right to approve the exactness of the quality he has ordered? In this world there are connoisseurs - the types of guests that can tell not only the difference between French and Scotch whisky, but also the age of the whisky or wine.

In countries with low standards, all of the above may sound like “expecting too much”. It used to be the situation in Ghana; but no more. This country is no longer having to deal only with carpet-bagger tourists. The KLMs, Lufthansas, the Ethiopian, South African and Emirates Airlines fly in daily filled with passengers some of whom are here to sign mutli-billion dollar deals; some are visiting an oil rig or attending the board meeting of a multi-national company.

Poor Service

So it is no longer business as usual. Week after week, the regional offices and headquarters of the Ghana Tourism Authority are inundated with complaints of below-par or sometimes downright unacceptable service by staff of Ghanaian hotels, restaurants, car rental companies, game parks, etc.

Is there any reason why this situation should be allowed to persist?

Okatakyie Nana Anim, national president of the Ghana Tourism Federation (GHATOF), which groups the 24 professional associations in tourism, says, “No!” He adds that the vexing issue of training has been on the association’s front burner for many years. “We in GHATOF know, and everybody should be reminded, that what makes the difference is not the state-of-the-art architecture and equipment: it is service. Who makes things happen? It is the personnel. So if they are not properly trained to offer service, there will always be a disconnect between aspiration and actual delivery.”

In 2005, the then Ghana Tourist Board, after years of bombardments by tourists and other patrons about service quality, set up a body which it christened ‘Committee For Crash Training Programme’. The proposal was for a massive drive to train everybody and anybody who rendered service in the industry, with special emphasis on front office staff, food and beverage, chefs, cooks, security personnel and drivers in the hospitality industry.

That was 12 years ago. In all these years, the great ideas proposed by the committee have remained on paper. Reason: no money.

Training

This mantra should no longer hold. Nana Anim says GHATOF has a master plan for training which they are ready to roll out in all districts. The federation also wants to tackle the issue of tourism security and safety, in partnership with Doreen Owusu Fianko’s TOSS.

Problem is, there is still the challenge of funding. Question is, what is the use of the Tourism Development Fund if it cannot be placed at the service of quality, safety and security? After all, the One Per Cent Levy from which the fund was born and swells every month is from the sweat of the private sector.

Last year the former Tourism Minister promised GHATOF GH¢1.8 million allocation from the Fund. The GHATOF President says: “We are still waiting for that money”. When will that be, seeing as even the board of the Ghana Tourism Authority is not in place? It is the GTA Board that will constitute the Board of the Fund. That threatens to be eternity.