GTA trains 300 operators of hospitality industry

At least 300 people in the hospitality industry in the Upper West Region, have received training from the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), to help them improve upon service delivery.

The participants included waiters, waitresses, executives of travel and tour agencies, tour guides, chop bar owners, smock weavers, operators of food and beverage establishments and hotel staff.

Dubbed: the “Obaatanpa”, the training, was under the auspices of Ghana COVID-19 Alleviation Revitalisation Enterprise Support” (Ghana CARES).

The Upper West Regional Director of the GTA, Mr Moses Ndewin Ndebugri, speaking at the training on Monday, said there was the need to revamp the tourism sector, to enable operators run their businesses smoothly and overcome the adverse effects of COVID-19.

He said participants, who were schooled on customer service and digital marketing, received certificates to enable them to serve customers better.

Mr Ndebugri said he was hopeful the training would help change “the face and operations of the hospitality sector.”

“Attitude is key to providing quality services in the hospitality industry, so I will like to encourage all participants to always be fair and balanced in your line of duty at your work environment”, he added.

Mr Ndebugri asked the participants to comport themselves well when providing services to customers and encouraged them to visit the GTA for assistance when necessary.

A consultant with Total Growth, Mr Apaloo Lolo, who educated participants on customer service, advised them to make customer care important, saying “Customers always want to be treated with honor and respect and since our customers are always right, we should treat them nicely at the workplace”.

He said businesses facilities that took customer service for granted, experienced massive losses during COVID-19 while those that had good customer service relations continued to thrive.

Some of the participants, who spoke to the Ghanaian Times, expressed gratitude to the GTA for the opportunity offered them to improve upon their skills, and appealed for training on regular basis.