Ghana partners Google to put tourism online
The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) in its effort to place Ghana’s tourism on the global tourism map, and in conformity with modern trends, is collaborating with Google on a project dubbed: “Tourism-Online”.
This project is to ensure that all tourism units and enterprises in Ghana have their own websites, which would be designed free of charge for stakeholders.
In a release issued to the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday in Accra, Nana Twum Barima I, Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation GTA, said it was the right opportunity for the industry and most especially the private sector to take advantage of such noble projects since technology was now essential in all business operations.
He said currently the Authority was very active online through its website and present on social media fronts such as Facebook, twitter, blog, YouTube, and Google+, all as means of promoting Ghana’s tourism.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the 21st century plays a very crucial role in helping businesses succeed, and tourism was no exception, he said.
Nana Twum Barima said the visibility of tourism enterprises online will not only attract international tourists to Ghana but would also expand the business potential and increase business audience.
He enumerated some of the benefits stakeholders will derive from the project as including choosing their own domain name and getting it registered for free, as well as free training on managing website, getting site linked to stakeholders’ phone via text, and getting 10 free professional emails, among others.
Estelle Akofio-Sowah, Google Ghana Country Lead, said: “We are excited about the opportunity this initiative offers. Tourism is a sector driven by information and coming online presents an opportunity for hotels, resorts and other businesses within the tourism industry to share their services with the world”.
She said through the information, pictures and videos found online, Ghana could tell the world her story as the “gateway to Africa” adding that the extended impact of this was that as the tourism sector grew, it would also positively impact other sectors in Ghana.
Source: GNA