Table 1.1 Ghana’s Internet Usage and Population Growth
-
YEAR
|
Users
|
Population
|
% Pen.
|
Usage Source
|
2000
|
30,000
|
18,881,600
|
0.2 %
|
ITU
|
2006
|
401,300
|
21,801,662
|
1.8 %
|
ITU
|
2008
|
880,000
|
23,382,848
|
3.8 %
|
ITU
|
2009
|
997,000
|
23,887,812
|
4.2 %
|
ITU
|
Source: internet world statistics 2010
Ghana can be located in West Africa and attained independence from the British on 6th March 1957. Since then the country has been governed by a mix of military and democratically elected governments. Since 1992, Ghana has pursued its developmental agenda under constitutionally elected governments. It borders Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Accra is the capital and largest city in Ghana.
Hotels have existed and operated in Ghana since independence. Hotels come in a variety of ranges, from low budget to high-end accommodation. Hotel class is essentially a measure of both the quality and the number of services provided by the hotel (Fortanier & van Wijk, 2010).
“A hotel is a commercial establishment providing lodging, meals, and other guest services. In general, to be called a hotel, an establishment must have a minimum of six letting bedrooms, at least three of which must have attached (ensuite) private bathroom facilities. Although hotels are classified into 'Star' categories (1-Star to 5-Star), there is no standard method of assigning these ratings, and compliance with customary requirements is voluntary” (online Business dictionary, 2011).
In the 1980s until the implementation of the economic recovery programme (ERP) all the big hotels that met international standards belonged to the government of Ghana. Although there were several other hotels operating in the country, most of them were small in size and did not have adequate facilities to meet international standards. During the implementation of the ERP, all the state owned hotels were divested to private individuals. Today the hotel subsector in Ghana is flourishing due to the privatization which took place many years ago. Governmental role in the sector is mainly relegated to policy making and crafting regulatory framework for the sector.
Although the landscape in the hotel subsector has changed with the springing up of many small sized hotels and guest houses there still are only a handful of hotels that meet international standards. New major international luxury hotels are being built or renovated and are mostly concentrated in Accra. These include Hilton, Marriot, Sheraton, Movenpick Hotel and Resort, and Ambassador Hotel (Ashitey, 2008).
United States based New Dawn Resorts (Holder Hospitality Group) is expected to build an international resort complex on a 60-acre stretch of coastline in Accra, including at least four hotels, restaurants, a casino, playgrounds, and other facilities. Holiday Inn was also newly opened in June 2008 and a Golden Tulip hotel was built in Kumasi (Ashitey 2008).
Based on information gathered from Ghana Hotels Association website there are approximately 816 hotels in the country currently.
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