Two years since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in Ghana, players in the hospitality space say business is almost back to normal for them.

President of the Ghana Hotels Association, Dr Edward Ackah-Nyamike stated that “I think the industry is bouncing back and we are almost close to the pre-COVID-19 performance, at least from the middle of 2021 up to the beginning of this first quarter, I think performance has been quite good and I’m patiently waiting for the government statistician to give his report that gives that clear indication that the industry is bouncing back.”

The sector was among the worst impacted by the outbreak as its associated restrictions deprived the industry of the needed environment to thrive.

The government however embarked on some interventions including the easing of some of these restrictions which businesses in the spaces say have partly contributed to the recovery process.

Dr Edward Ackah-Nyamike further lauded the various government agencies in the sector for their efforts at improving the fortunes of the hospitality industry.

“There’s been a lot of collaboration. There’s a lot of partnership and the Ghana Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture have also been worthy leaders. Tourism is a public sector, led and private sector driven and they are really doing their bit in that direction. And all these factors combined to result in that bouncing back that we’re talking about.”

A lot of businesses were compelled to shut down amid the peak of the pandemic while others downsized to sustain their operations.

The sector is reported to have lost millions of dollars if not billions since the pandemic struck but players in the space say they are resilient and on a course toward a full recovery.