The Ghana Tourism Authority has begun training of frontline workers in the hospitality and tourism sector in the French language. The training is being rolled out through government\u2019s Ghana CARES \u201cObataan Pa\u201d programme which aims to provide diverse support to industry players and businesses as they recover from the devasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The programme which began at the Accra Tourist Information Centre today, September 18 will last for three months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Addressing the trainees, Deputy CEO of GTA in charge of General Services, Ben Anane-Nsiah noted that the training was imperative to the growth of Ghana\u2019s regional tourism as the West African region is predominantly French-speaking countries with countries like Cote d\u2019Ivoire in the top eight of the country\u2019s tourism source markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is a renewed emphasis on regional tourism, and it is important to make French speaking tourists feel welcome,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that the country is determined to achieve at least two million tourists by 2026 and \u201cspeaking English only doesn\u2019t help the tourism posture.\u201d
\u201cFor up market hotels especially, signages need to be in French and it is important to present a product that is friendly and attracts tourists from the region,\u201d he emphasised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Deputy CEO expressed optimism that the training will help build the bilingual capacity of hospitality workers while building their confidence to serve their clients better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GTA\u2019s Director of Administration, Richard Agyenim Boateng added that the training adds on to the ongoing training modules being undertaken by the Authority such as Digital Marketing, Tourism Product Knowledge and that the French language will help beneficiaries leverage the French-speaking market and offer good customer service to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter we train the people, we go round as part of monitoring to ensure that all the facilities have signages in French and we would expect the people to be able to offer the best of customer service in the area of French\u201d he maintained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The French language training is targeted at 500 beneficiaries across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n