From Abdul Aziz, Ada Foah
THE Ministry of Tourism and Diasporan Relations has realised its highest ever revenue of GH¢783,241, from domestic tourism last year.
This amount was paid by 417,558 Ghanaians who travelled within Ghana as tourists.
Mr Martin Mireku, Executive Director of the Ghana Tourist Board, announced this at the 8th Southern Zone Tourism Awards at Ada over the weekend.
He explained that out of the total amount generated from domestic tourism nationwide, the four regions which represented the Southern Zone alone contributed GH¢649,164, which was over 60 per cent.
He said the Southern zone comprising Greater Accra, Central, Volta and Western regions were visited by a total of 356,883 dometic tourists in 2007.
Mr Mireku said this clearly showed the contributions of the southern or coastal zone to the development of internal tourism in the country.
He said a visit to any major attraction site, especially at weekends, revealed that increasingly, Ghanaians were beginning to appreciate and engage in domestic tourism activities.
The Executive Director said apart from the economic benefits, domestic tourism also facilitated national cohesion and the apprerciation of the beauty of the country.
He further said, it also helped to distribute national wealth, as well as curbed rural/urban migration.
He, therefore, urged practitioners such as hotels, car rental companies and traditional catering establishments to devise startegies and programmes that would respond to the demands of domestic tourists.
Three categories of awards in the areas of accomodation, culinary services and travel and tours were instituted. Fiesta Royale Hotel, Accra Chances Hotel, Ho and Axim Beach Hotel, took the awards for three-star hotel of the year, two-star hotel of the yearand one-star hotel of the year respectively.
Deo Art Gallery at Cape Coast Castle won the travel agency of the year, Journey Max Executive Travel and Tours, Accra was adjudged tour operator of the year .
The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, Accra was adjudged the best visitors attraction of the year.
Ms Comfort Opoku-Ware, acting Greater Accra Regional Manager of the Ghana Tourist Board in a welcoming address observed that the awards played an impotant role in the development and promotion of both domestic and international tourism in the country.
SSNIT to issue bills to indebted employers
The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), would from the end of July this year, issue out bills, under its new Employer Member Account Reconciliation (EMAR) system, to prompt indebted employers to pay the pension scheme contributions of their employees.
Under the EMAR system, the grand summary of total employer indebtedness based on inspections, up-to-date and last known contribution reports received from employers would be calculated and a monthly bill issued to prevent mounting of debts.
This was announced by Mr Allandu Azu, Tema Harbour Branch Manager of SSNIT at an employers’ seminar at Tema to educate employers contributing towards the scheme with its six branches in the region on their roles under the new system.
Mr Azu explained that the EMAR system seeks to address the limitations of the indebtedness schedule, which is the list of indebted employers compiled through the reconciliation of contributions and payment information in the SSNIT database with employer records.
He said the system is that of an in-house application, developed by the SSNIT Information Technology Department, which would estimate the total employer indebtedness at the end of every month whether inspections have been conducted or not.
The system uses data from contribution reports and payments made by employers to estimate their indebtedness as well as updating arrears of individual indebted employers.
Mr Azu warned that employers who fail to pay their debts or negotiate with SSNIT to settle their arrears by instalments, three months after the issuance of the bill, would be prosecuted.
Women in corporate, political terrain meet
By Rhodaline N.O. Abenser.
THE Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Miss Joyce Aryee, is scheduled to meet with women on the corporate and political terrain in Ghana to discuss topics that border on various aspects of empowerment.
The discussions will be at a special breakfast and strategic leadership programme organised by the Accra-based African Management & Productivity Institute (AMPRO).
Miss Aryee would address the participants on issues that affect work ethics, empowerment, promotion and talent of women who either hope to attain leadership positions or are already playing leadership roles in their social and corporate environments.
The meetings are scheduled to take place from July 22 to July 25 at the AMPRO Bussiness School, Community 18, off Spintex Road.
Participants will be taken through a gruelling 12 hours of comprehensive lectures, case studies, faculty mentoring, motivational video presentations and peer mentoring.
HFC Bank sensitises customers on the use of e-Zwich
Mr Bekoe Palmer-Buckle, Head of Marketing and Direct Sales of Home Finance Company (HFC) Bank has said that the growth in electronic payments systems such as the e-Zwich has significant economic benefits for the entire country.
Mr Palmer-Buckle said this during a sensitisation forum organised by the HFC Bank for its customers on the use and benefits of the e-Zwich card in Tamale on Thursday.
He said the electronic payments system were much more cost-effective on a large scale than cash payments.
"For instance, the total cost of a cash based payment system has been estimated to be between five per cent and seven per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)." he said.
Mr Palmer-Buckle said the system had numerous benefits for countries that use it, saying that, "the electronic systems can decrease the un-banked population considerably if deployed through salary card schemes".
He said in addition, there are greater retail deposits and the increased velocity of money generated by the electronic payment system contributes to improved financial intermediation, which stimulates economic growth.
Mr Palmer Buckle said the HFC Bank has already “gone live” on the e-Zwich platform with smart cards issued to customers, while point of sale (POS) devices are being installed at vantage points all over the country.
He said the use of the card would take away the risk of loosing cash through negligence, robbery, and fraud and would also empower its users with greater financial independence for transactions and other settlements.
He noted that the operation of the card would serve as a platform for the deployment of other electronic payments and settlements aimed at transforming the economy from a cash-based payment system to an electronic payments system.
Mr Palmer-Buckle urged customers and non-customers of the Bank to get fully involved in the use of the "new and innovative system".
GNA
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