The Member of Parliament for Cape Coast North, Kwamena Minta Nyarku, has warned that high hotel prices in Cape Coast could discourage tourists from staying in the city and weaken its ambitions of becoming a leading tourism destination.
Dr Nyarku said accommodation costs were becoming an important factor for visitors deciding whether to explore Cape Coast’s historic, cultural and natural attractions.
He made the remarks at the second edition of a forum and fundraising ceremony held to discuss Cape Coast’s eight year development plan.
The MP said the city could not rely solely on attractions such as the Cape Coast Castle if it wanted to attract more visitors and keep them in the city for longer.
He argued that a successful tourism destination needed more than historic sites. It also required reasonably priced accommodation, entertainment, security, reliable transport and other services that would make visitors comfortable.
Cape Coast remains one of Ghana’s major tourism destinations, with the Cape Coast Castle and other historic sites drawing visitors from Ghana and abroad.
The sector also supports hotels, restaurants, tour operators, transport providers and small businesses that depend on spending by visitors.
But Dr Nyarku said expensive accommodation could threaten those economic opportunities if tourists began to see Cape Coast as a destination that was too costly.
His comments come ahead of the Oguaa Fetu Afahye, one of Cape Coast’s biggest annual festivals, which attracts thousands of people from Ghana and abroad.
The Cape Coast Mayor, George Justice Arthur, said the concerns about hotel prices would be discussed with hotel owners and managers in the city.
He said the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly would soon meet stakeholders in the hotel industry to find ways of addressing the issue before the festival.
Meanwhile, Michael Harry Yamson, Administrator of the Ghana’s District Assemblies Common Fund and Special Guest of Honour at the event, urged the Assembly to make its proposed development projects financially sustainable.
He said the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly should consider establishing businesses as part of its eight year development plan to create decent jobs for unemployed residents.
Mr Yamson also stressed the need for the Assembly to generate revenue from projects it plans to undertake.
He warned that if the Assembly failed to recover money from the projects, it risked spending public funds without creating a sustainable source of income for the city.
The discussions form part of wider efforts to shape Cape Coast’s development over the next eight years, with tourism, jobs and local economic activity expected to remain central to the city’s plans.
