Atuobi Debrah Kissi, the General Manager of Belfast Management Limited has bemoaned the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the hospitality industry, insisting that it will take the industry months to recover from the setback.

According to him the virus and its excesses have crippled activities in the sector and it will take a while for investors to reap the benefits of their investments.

Speaking at a client engagement event on Friday October 8, 2020, Mr Debrah Kissi appealed to government to support the industry with special incentives that will help them mitigate the impact of the virus.

He noted that the despite the reopening of the airport, the industry is still reeling from the impact of the virus and a stimulus package tailored for their need will prove handy in their sustenance.

“The hotel industry has been hit the hardest because our industry business is based on people coming in and out of the country and borders were closed for over six months which meant that we weren’t getting businesses for these months but we found a way to survive”.

“Now that the borders have reopened, I’m hopeful that things will get back to normal in no time soon. I’m hopeful things will get better in December and we will kick off from there”

On the appeal to government he said “We are struggling so if there are some stimulus package that they can give us. If they can get us some incentives, it will help us because we are struggling”.

He also spoke about the reopening of the luxurious Number One Oxford Street Hotel and Suites at Osu in Accra.

He assured clients and potential clients of their comfort and strict compliance with the covid-19 protocols.

He also explained that, upon resumption of operations, the facility has made available special packages for its customers.

He said Belfast will continue to work collaborate with stakeholders in the hospitality industry to position Ghana as the preferred destination for tourism and businesses in the sub-region.