The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has joined forces with Google to push forward the ‘Tourism-Online’ project, in an effort to place Ghana’s tourism on the global map and in conformity with modern trends. This project is to ensure that all tourism units and enterprises in Ghana have their own websites which will be designed freely for stakeholders.

Nana Twum Barima I, the Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation said in a statement that it was the right opportunity for the industry, especially the private sector to take advantage of such noble projects since technology is now essential in business operations. He added that 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.

Some of the benefits stakeholders will derive from the project includes: choosing own domain name and free registering of domain, free website management training, getting sites linked to stakeholders’ phones via text and 10 free professional emails.

Google Ghana’s country lead, Estelle Akofio-Sowah expressed: “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 added that through this ‘Ghana could tell the world her story as the gateway to Africa’.

By Claudia Andrews