Ghana's Tour Operators Sharpen Customer Service Skills to Boost Destination Appeal
In the race to attract more international visitors, having beautiful landscapes and rich culture is not enough. How a traveller feels from the moment they send their first enquiry until they are dropped off at the airport matters just as much — if not more. This was the central message at a dedicated training session organised by the Tour Operators Union of Ghana (TOUGHA) at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra.
The one-day capacity-building event, held on February 18, 2026, gathered tour operators and tourism stakeholders from across the country for an intensive focus on improving customer service delivery. The session was led by Priscilla Wellington, Chief Executive Officer of Customer Service Africa, and forms part of a wider effort by TOUGHA to raise professional standards within Ghana's tourism industry.
TOUGHA President Yvonne Donkor set the tone early, reminding participants that tourism is fundamentally a people business. "Tourism is not merely about destinations; it is about experiences. And experiences are shaped by people," she told the gathering. Every interaction a visitor has with a Ghanaian tour operator, she stressed, directly shapes the country's reputation on the global stage. Qualities such as professionalism, empathy, cultural sensitivity, and attention to detail must be embedded in everyday operations, not treated as optional extras.
Ms Donkor was also careful to frame the training not as a single event but as part of a longer journey. She encouraged members to take what they learned back into their businesses and apply it consistently. The goal, she said, is to position Ghana as a preferred tourism destination in Africa — and that can only happen when service quality matches the promise made in marketing materials and travel brochures.
This message was echoed strongly by Ekow Sampson, Deputy CEO for Operations at the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA). While acknowledging that Ghana possesses outstanding tourism assets — from its cultural heritage and vibrant festivals to its ecotourism offerings and stable democratic environment — he was candid about an ongoing weakness. Poor customer service, he said, continues to let the sector down at multiple points along the visitor journey.
Common complaints, Mr Sampson noted, include limited product knowledge among frontline staff, weak communication skills, unprofessional attitudes, delays, and inconsistent standards. In today's digital world, these shortcomings carry even greater risk. A single bad experience shared through online reviews or social media can reach thousands of potential visitors within hours, causing lasting damage to a destination's image. "Customer service is not just an operational issue; it is a national economic priority," he stated plainly.
To address these gaps at scale, Mr Sampson announced that the GTA will soon launch a nationwide customer service training programme covering all regions of the country. The initiative aims to set uniform service benchmarks, promote ethical conduct, integrate digital literacy and complaints handling into standard practice, and strengthen quality assurance systems across tourism businesses.
He praised TOUGHA for not waiting for regulation to force change but instead taking the lead in building the capacity of its own members. Both speakers agreed that real improvement requires more than attending a workshop. It demands a sustained shift in mindset, backed by ongoing training, strong supervision, and clear accountability within organisations.
For travel professionals across sub-Saharan Africa, the lessons from this initiative extend well beyond Ghana's borders. As competition for international visitors intensifies across the continent, service quality is fast becoming the factor that separates thriving destinations from those that struggle to convert interest into bookings. Operators who invest in their teams today are building the foundation for stronger client loyalty, better online reputations, and higher repeat visit rates tomorrow. Ghana's proactive approach is a model worth watching — and perhaps worth replicating in other African markets where similar service gaps persist.
