‘See Ghana’ Initiator Named Tourism Ambassador

Culture and tourism advocate, and initiator of ‘See Ghana’, the domestic tourism stimulation movement, PaJohn Bentsifi Dadson, has been named as one of thirty tourism ambassadors named for Ghana by the Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture.

A destination management practitioner, PaJohn, whose company, Native Adventures provides the WangoWango travel experiences across the country, said the appointment is a great opportunity for him to serve, and contribute to making the visitor experience in Ghana a positive one.

“There are so many amazing things about Ghana to be proud of,” said PaJohn, welcoming his new role. “The tourism narrative ought to flip, and begin to be more widely told by ourselves, in all its sincerity and rawness.”

Focusing on a great visitor experience as a major delivery item, PaJohn believes showing our guests our humanity, giving them a positive experience, can make up for the lack of inadequate infrastructure facing the country as an attractive destination.

“Remember, great experiences are about human warmth, and a receptive front-line well versed in customer service, as ambassadors must have, can make all the difference.”

Minister for Tourism, Art and Culture, Catherine Afeku, expressed her delight to have PaJohn, who she commends as having great talent and skill for the job, as one of the ambassadors.

Numbering over thirty, the ambassadors, who include personalities like Nana Kwame Ampedu, Okyeame Kwame, Praye, Ghanaian UK music sensations Reggie N Bollie, and Ghanaian born entertainer from Korea, Sam Otchere, among others, were outdoored at the ceremonies to commemmorate World Toirism Day in Tamale on Wednesday, September 27.

‘Ghana – Our story, told by us’ is PaJohn’s key message, as he takes on his new role, which he plans to use his to build the capacity of key stakeholders. These will include politicians, who he will engage to increase their understanding of the intrinsic importance of tourism within the creative industries eco-system, and its potential for Ghana’s economy.

“There’s a strong need for everybody, particularly our parliamentarians, to really appreciate how much more this sector contributes to employment and GDP. We urgently have to impress on them to urge government to apply some serious political will, provide adequate funding for the sector to empower the Ghana Tourism Authority to implement marketing policy goals.”

Besides that, he also aims to carry on with ‘See Ghana’, the domestic tourism stimulation program he has already started with Joy FM, Starr FM, The Mirror newspaper and other high profile media establishments, in an effort to increase the proportion of residents who holiday within the country.

It is been PaJohn’s desire to inspire front-line hospitality employees and volunteers to work together to turn every visitor encounter into a positive experience.

An industry player since 1992, between 1999 and 2009, PaJohn initiated and operated the first privately run citywide visitor information resource for tourists at the Ghana Tourist Board approved Accra Visitor Centre on Accra’s busy Ring Road Central.

Profile:

PaJohn Bentsifi Dadson is a Tourism and Communications Practitioner with expertise in media and events management. He has a demonstrated capacity to lead diverse teams of professionals to new levels of success in an array of highly competitive environments, with technical competences and a track record of more than 18 years of hands-on experience, particularly in public & media relations, marketing and corporate hospitality, as well as special events and destination management.

PaJohn initiated and operated the first privately run citywide visitor information service for tourists from 1999 – 2009, at the Ghana Tourist Board approved Accra Visitor Centre on Accra’s busy Ring Road Central, Accra. During that time, he also established himself as on authority on the city’s arts and entertainment scene through his writings in his ‘Guy About Town’ columns in, at various periods, “The Ghanaian Chronicle”, “The Accra Mail”, and later “The Mirror” newspapers,*which he carries on to date.

He was the first Communications Director at Charterhouse and successfully led the team that managed the ‘hostile media’ for the Ghana Music Awards through initial ‘rocky times’ to establish the event/awards as credible resource for Ghanaian musicians. And in 2007, he was the media consultant for ‘Ghana as One’, the ‘unofficial’ Golden Jubilee dinner party at the Independence Square celebrate Ghana’s 50th independence anniversary.

With a passion for cultural activism, PaJohn is currently the leader of the media task team of the Ghana Culture Forum – a national civil society consultative forum on culture and development, as well as the media coordinator for Accra Culture & Arts Network (Accra CAN) – a network of cultural institutions united to promote our city as a vibrant Cultural Capital in Africa.

PaJohn has a penchant for cooking, and often translates his culinary skills into preparing spruced up fusion Ghanaian dishes. He operates a pop-up restaurant, PaJohn’s, on the rooftop of his residence and although promoted by word of mouth, it has garnered a rather impressive client list.

Passionate about tourism, PaJohn is disrupting the traditional approach to the sector. In 2014, he initiated, and leads ‘See Ghana’, a domestic tourism stimulation programme aimed at encouraging more local participation in tourism through a free-wheeling partnership – Tourism Marketing Alliance, Ghana. He has partnered many high profile media organisations like Joy FM, Starr FM, The Mirror, to promote domestic tours dubbed WangoWango.

At the forefront of the travel movement, WangoWango is a unique wellness vacation experience, featuring exhilirating itineraries, healthy gastronomic episodes and pursuits, all centred at reinvigorating passions for the good life.

A happy spirit who enjoys being part of productive teams, thriving well in challenging working environments, PaJohn lists his interests as geography, anthropology, sociology, journalism, tourism and self-development. His hobbies include travel, reading, art, writing, swimming, cooking & cuisine, nature & outdoor living, dancing, meeting people and sharing ideas.

Fluent in English, Fanti & Twi, PaJohn is the Principal at Bentsifi Consultancy, a hospitality, tourism and communications firm. He is well informed in brand awareness and reputation management, and also uses his wide network in Ghana’s social circle to assist individuals and organizations with their communications and hospitality solutions.

He is currently studying for a Masters in Arts (Tourism Management) at the University of Cape Coast. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Entrepreneurship from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).

Source: Myjoyonline