By
Joshua Asaah, GNA
Bolgatanga, Oct. 02, GNA – Tour operators in
the country have been charged to embrace digitalization of the industry to
advance the sector in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals.
A retired lecturer of the Bolgatanga
Polytechnic, Dr James Akamboe Ayirebasia, who admonished the operators, said
the world was gradually responding to transformations to digitalizing, hence,
the need for tourism operating firms to adopt the new marketing approach to
sell their products using digital platforms.
He said this in Bolgatanga, during this year’s
United Nations World Tourism Day (UNWTD) celebration organised by the Ghana
Tourism Authority (GTA) om the theme: “Tourism and the digital transformation’.
“Digital tourism marketing is useful and up to
$7.6 trillion are generated from tourism and the world is gravitating towards
digitization”, he stated.
A lecturer from the Millar Open University,
Madam Eva Agana Mmah, reiterated the need to embrace digital tools in
transforming the tourism sector.
According to her, the tourism sector had lots
of potentials and could be better harnessed if owners of tourist sites embraced
digital tools.
The Paramount Chief of the Bongo Traditional
Area, Naba Baba Salifu Atamale Lemyaarum who was a participant at the function,
expressed contrary view to digitalizing the tourism sector and expressed fears
that there would be job losses if the tourism sector embraced entirely digital
models.
“Using the digital system could be beneficial
but we don’t have to discard our traditional methods. If we have to discard
them, then, we are rendering some people jobless. Our tourist guards will not
also forgive us”, he expressed.
The Upper East Regional Director of the GTA,
Mr Henry Yeledour, said the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture had
identified three tourist sites in the Upper East Region for upgrading.
The sites include the Paga Zenga Crocodile
Pond, the Pikworo Slave Camp and the Tengzuk Shrine. These sites he said formed
part of the Ministry’s initiative to upgrade 33 tourism sites across the
country.
GNA