Ghana is expected to generate over US$1.5 billion from tourist arrivals by 2027, Professor Samuel Annim, the Government Statistician, has said. The figure, the Professor stressed, would create over 1.4 million jobs for the citizenry and reduce the country’s employment deficit.
Prof Annim announced this at the maiden launch of this year’s Domestic and Outbound Tourism Survey (DOTS) in Winneba, in the Central region. The Surveys are the Ghana International Travellers’ Survey, the Domestic and Outbound Tourism Survey, Accommodation Units Survey and the Tourism Supply Establishment Survey.
The aim is to compile the Tourism Satellite Account to serve as a basis for computing the sector’s information for national development for three years. The Survey funded by Harmonizing and Improving Statistics in West Africa, would begin on April 19, 2023.
“The way to go is tourism because the sector will promote all the needed resource needs of the country for socio-economic development,” he said.
Tracking the country’s potential sector, he stated, would enable authorities to know the number of tourism-related information for comprehensive mapping and decision making.
He said the Statistical Service was profiling the policies of Ministries and Agencies in the country to ensure that there were clear targets on quality data.
Prof Annim advised the field officers to be passionate about the job and produce data that would be reliable for decision making.
“You have the opportunity to transform lives through your work. Be professional in the discharge of your duties,” he said. He said as the government sought to implement the existing 15-year Tourism Development Plan (2013-2027) and other policy documents, the need for a reliable and vibrant data base was important.
Prof Kwaku Boakye, Chair, Technical Team for the Survey, said the development of tourism had not been lost on governments as they continued to invest and explored ways to maximize the benefits from the sector.
The UN World Tourism Organisation says the sector generated US$1.7 trillion in revenues in 2019 and employed one out of every 10 workers globally. He said tourism potential had contributed immensely to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in poverty reduction, decent work, economic growth, and sustainability of the environment.
He pledged to produce quality data that would be useful for the country’s planning and decision-making.
Dr. Ebenezer Kojo Ocran, Coordinator for the Survey, said a total of 220 participants had been mobilized for the training of the survey.
He said the areas covered by the Survey instruments included concepts and definitions, the administration of questionnaires, and others. DOTS involves collecting, compiling, analysing, and disseminating tourism information about Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians who are resident in Ghana.
By Kodjo Adams
Source: GNA
