The Ghana Statistical Service is to conduct a national survey on Hotel Accommodation in Ghana next year.
The project seeks to provide the first ever national database on hotel accommodations and also to provide accurate data on the real contribution of the sub sector to the national economy, especially in the area of revenue and employment.
Towards this project, a workshop has been held in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi, for key stakeholders from selected regions.
The project, code named ‘Ghana 2024 Accommodation Unit Survey’ will cover all the 261 administrative districts in the country with a sample size of one thousand and 77 of all categories of hotels from Budget to the highest ranked hotel in the country.
The survey will last from March to June of next year with the final report expected by November of the same year.
The Acting Deputy Government Statistician, Asuo Afram, explained that the generation of Statistical data about various aspects of the economy is to help in national policy formulation and that the Ghana 2024 Accommodation Unit Survey’ is key in helping government establish the actual contribution of the hotels to GDP instead of relying on estimates.
An official of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Dr. Spencer Doku, disclosed that over the years, the Authority has only reported on the annual visitor arrivals, hence to cover the contribution of the hotel and accommodation sectors is laudable.
The National President of the Ghana Hoteliers Association, Dr. Edward Ackah Nyamekeh, also indicated that the full potential and contribution of the hotel sub sector to Ghana’s GDP has over the years been underestimated.
He welcomed the survey as it will help build a confirmed national database.