The President of the Ghana Hotels Association, Dr. Edward Ackah-Nyamike Jnr, is calling on the government to address the numerous charges imposed on the sector in the Mid-Year Budget.

According to him, the country can meet its target of attracting over 1.5 million tourists, but the government needs to reduce the number of taxes imposed on the sector as well the high utility tariff.

Speaking at the 3rd National Executive Council Meeting of the Ghana Hotels Association, he said the despite recording a positive economic recovery post-Covid 19, the sector is still faced with challenges.

Dr. Ackah-Nyamike Jnr also said his outfit expects the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to address some critical issues bedeviling the progress of the sector in the Mid-Year Budget.

“We have several programmes which are bringing in people. When they come in, that is where some of the challenges come in because the hotels are hosting them. We have high taxes and utility costs, now water and electricity are adjusted every quarter and it keeps going high”.

“All those things together with the high lending rates and the cost of doing business, in general, is affecting our business. So we may bring in the numbers, however, the profit margin for the businesses is very small”, he mentioned.

The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal reiterated the government’s support to helping the sector to develop.

The Ghana Hotels Association also called on financial institutions to support the sector to develop and contribute to economic development.