Tourism In The Headlines

Tourism is the World’s largest industry. It can be an economic locomotive bringing employment, economic growth and earnings in foreign currency. The industry has established itself as a world major, which offers significant opportunities for employment creation, local economic development and the integration of international markets. Thereby becoming one of the driving forces of global employment, economic security and social well-being of the 21st century. Today, the sector represents 5% of global GDP, one in twelve jobs worldwide, and 30% of the world’s exports of services, ranking fourth after fuels, chemicals and automotive products.



Tourism has served this great country of ours very well, but yet it has not been accorded the right recognition it deserves especially with respect to what I term’ TOURISM IN THE NEWS’’. Most often we only tend to hear about tourism when there are major events approaching yet it is one of the sectors that hold the trump card to the alleviation of poverty both for the rural and urban poor with special emphasis on the youth and women.

Tourism facilities and structures alone do not attract and creates the job opportunities and investment vibe/opportunities for the country and the tourist enclave to be more specific.

The global challenge of media to the industry prompted the international mother organization United Nation World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to put together a day’s conference under the theme ‘’TOURISM IN THE HEADLINES’’ with support of the Croatian government.

During the conference, major pronouncements came to the fore of which one of the significant issues was about creating an active dialogue between tourism administrations, the private sector and the media on global tourism development, with a focus on improving access to quality information and increased collaboration and understanding between all involved.



Even events like the US presidents paying a visit to Ghana and particularly to the cape coast castle was not given the leverage in terms of the touristic value. Lots of the discussions centered on the first black African presidents paying a visit to Ghana regardless of his own roots in Kenya. Another example to buttress this point is how often, you don’t have a media house dedicating lengthy time of their programs discussing tourism.

It is one of the reasons why, though Ghana was listed as part of Frommer’s top ten tourism destinations for 2012, yet was for the Ghana Tourism Authority to put a press conference together to inform the general public and the world at large.



Given its undisputed economic, social and environmental relevance, tourism deserves a level of editorial recognition which is only slowly emerging. Media coverage has traditionally limited tourism to the travel pages, overlooking the sector’s capacity to provide skills, revenue and growth to local economies, particularly in developing countries.

Sometimes a tourism establishment is given the hype in the news, only when the entire generality of the story is sensational, i.e. a big man, politician, or a clergyman/woman is caught up in a scandal which has something to do with a particular hotel, guest house or lodge.

Even in developed Countries where tourism is more or less thriving than the developing world, tourism reportage is sadly reduced to flights/aviation news and some selected tourist sites. This goes to buttress the point of the problem not only peculiar to Ghana and other developing countries but the entire globe.

In Ghana same cannot be said of us. The media is one of the major stakeholders in the tourism industry if we are to say purge the sector of the miscreants in the sector.

Most of us will be struggling if we were to be asked to cast our minds back when we heard about tourism reportage on its own in the media apart from the obvious special occasions like the UNWTO DAY, PRESS CONFERENCES AND OTHER ONES. Yet this sector plays a key and vital role in the development of the country.



Increasing media coverage of tourism, and enhancing its accuracy, will result in greater awareness and support for the sector among not only the general public, but decision makers and the business world.



A strong working partnership is required between the tourism community and the media, to understand, support and strengthen the sector and maximize its contribution to global prosperity and well-being. In doing that, the sector will be in the news most often and it will help streamline the industry to compete with the best in the world.



Raising awareness of the overall value of tourism, going beyond the tourism sector, among the business community and general public through the media would make people appreciate the industry.



In moving forward, I believe the media will embrace new initiatives where for example a minute/quarter of a space will be dedicated to tourism coverage and reporting. It has to be emphasized that, the media is a key stakeholder in the development agenda of tourism.

As I wind down this piece, I would like to express appreciation to the media who extensively covered the last weekend’s Ghana Tourism Authority’s press conference on Frommer’s top ten list and the subsequent stories of Ghana’s showing at the just ended World Travel Market 2011.



Kojo Bentum-Williams,GTA

kojofabio@gmail.com

www.tourisminghana.blogspot.com