The dire economic impact of COVID 19: Hotel occupancy drops from 70 to 20 percent

It is not far-fetched, the dire impact COVID 19 has had on the Ghanaian economy. Trade and other services have been badly affected, as the crisis continue to heighten panic among most Ghanaians. One of the thriving industries in recent times; the tourism industry has been badly hit. An assessment taken by the Sector Minister, Barbara Oteng Gyesi, reveals that occupancy rate at hotels across the country have drop from 70 to 20 percent over the past months, due to the COVID 19 pandemic.

The Minister in an exclusive interview with Skyy News explained that the industry is highly dependent on events and tours, and that the prolong manifestation of the disease across the globe may result in the collapse of businesses.

She prayed that measures taken by government and the world over to curtail the spread and eventually eradicate the disease yields some results soon.

“This is not good for business. So as soon as we can manage the situation to ensure that we can rid ourselves of this virus, I think it will be good for us. And through that we can return to normalcy, businesses can re-engage and we can make money” she emphasized.

Hon. Oteng Gyesi indicated that the Ghana Tourism Authority, has been engaging the hoteliers association to deepen knowledge on COVID 19- preventive measures.