With an average monthly collection of about GH¢350,000, the 1 percent Tourism Levy collection has generated a little over GH¢9,000,000 as at 13 th February this year, the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has said.
However, this amount is woefully inadequate in developing the tourism sector in Ghana.
For this reason, the Authority is embarking on an intensive monitoring exercise to ensure the collection and remittance of the levy.
It said about 52 percent of registered and certified establishments have made payments into the fund while 48 percent have failed to do so.
A monitoring team has been formed to vigorously embark on visits to all certified tourism enterprises.
Any individual operator contravenes the regulation will be sanctioned.
The tourism industry has increasingly become competitive and this requires huge investments to develop products and services to meet the needs of patrons.
Tourism entities in Ghana such as hotels and restaurants are expected to collect 1 percent tourism levy from the total services that customers enjoy and pay into the tourism development fund.
According to the Authority, it intends to use proceeds from the 1 percent levy to fund the marketing and promotion of tourism, build capacity, conduct market research, offer tourism education, as well as train and improve tourism infrastructure.
The management of the Tourism Development Fund and the Ghana Tourism Federation are currently visiting selected tourism establishments to obtain first-hand information on collection and remittance.
Defaulters
Afrikiko Restaurant at Kanda and K.F.C in Osu were said to have failed to make any payment since the inception of the fund 28 months ago.
Both entities were given one-week ultimatum to ensure full payment.
Speaking at a press conference prior to the exercise, Chairman of the board of directors of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Akunu Dake, said many establishments have taken the fund for granted and therefore entreated individual operators to register and make payments.
Movenpick Ambassador Hotel was adjudged as the highest paying entity with remittances totaling GH¢1,334,912.
By Angela Dzidzornu
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