Coconut Groove Hotels fete foreign journalists

BY ATO KEELSON

Coconut Groove Regency Hotel in Accra on Tuesday, September 23, 2009 hosted foreign journalists who are currently in the country to cover this year’s World Tourism Day (WTD).

The journalists who were twelve (12) in number were given special invitations to attend a dinner by management of Coconut Groove Regency as part of the hotel’s contribution to this year’s world tourism day celebrations.

Led by the General Manager of Coconut Groove Regency, Mr Ralph Ayitey and Mr Kweku Nduom, the Head of Finance of Coconut Groove Hotels, the journalists were taken around facilities of the hotel among which included the Conference Hall and some of its rooms.

After touring facilities of the hotel, management of the hotel, treated them to a sumptuous dinner of local Ghanaian dishes. During the dinner, a cross section of management and staff of the hotel seized the opportunity to interact with the journalists.

Present at the occasion was the Minister of Tourism, Mrs Juliana Azumah-Mensah and her Deputy, Mr Cobby Acheampong, the New Executive Director of the Ghana Tourist Board, Mr Julius Debrah, the President of Tour Operators Union, Mr Godwin Addo-Boye and directors of the tourism ministry.

The group also visited the Coconut Groove Hotels in the Central and Ashanti Regions respectively.

In her remarks, Mrs Azumah-Mensah acknowledged the contribution of Coconut Groove Hotels to the hospitality industry and urged them not to relent in their efforts.

Mr Ralph Ayitey, the General Manager of the hotel, remarked that “the hotel as one of the most popular indigenous Ghanaian owned has contributed to providing many employment opportunities to Ghanaians across the country.

“The hotel has made it a policy to use locally made products to serve its clients which has contributed to providing market for our local farmers,” submitted Mr Ayitey.

“The hotel has in 2009 alone contributed over GH¢600,000 to the local Ghanaian rice farmer and also we serve locally made Ghanaian fruit juices,” disclosed the General Manager of Coconut Groove Regency.

Mr Kweku Nduom, the Head of Finance, Coconut Groove Hotels, expressed the hotel’s appreciation to the journalists for accepting and honouring the company’s invitation.

He also noted that Coconut Groove Hotels has “positioned itself strategically to become a profitable entity which will provide memories worth repeating to its clients.”

Over the past eight (8) years, Coconut Groove Hotels has given a free office to the Tour Operators Union in Ghana.