Why youth should grow skills in tourism sector

Follow @bamasvictoria A young man from Ghana, Charles Sablah loves meeting new people so he started welcoming couch- surfers into his home several years ago. What started out as a passion has metamorphosed into one of Ghana’s most rated tourist ‘walking tours’. A quick search on the internet for tourist attractions in Ghana will give […]

Follow @bamasvictoria

A young man from Ghana, Charles Sablah loves meeting new people so he started welcoming couch- surfers into his home several years ago.

What started out as a passion has metamorphosed into one of Ghana’s most rated tourist ‘walking tours’. A quick search on the internet for tourist attractions in Ghana will give you Nima Tours.

Armed with the basic knowledge of the internet,  Sablah created a website and several social media accounts targeted at potential tourists. He uploaded pictures of his community and offered to show people around for a small token. He charges by the hour.

He said: “I am a tour guide. I do walking tours around Nima and tell them the history. I take people to the community market, schools, neighborhoods, to give people the idea of how different ethnicities co-exist and to see another side of Ghana.”

Sablah who did not get the opportunity to get a university education did not rest on his oars but researched the history of Nima. This working knowledge has “ensured he gets good reviews online” which translates into more clients as people often surf the internet about a place when visiting for the first time.

He said the walking tour is not without its hitches as the conservative people in the community feels it is intrusive but he surmounts this problem by ensuring  that “We (him and the tourist) do not offend people by taking indiscriminate photos and we abide by all rules and norms.”

Sablah said it has helped to disabuse people’s perception of Nima as a poor and dangerous community. “I have been able to make people see the plight of Anani intl community school that caters for the less privileged kids and often than not they tend to help out in one way or the other,” he added.

Charles (Middle) on the job with Tourist

To fellow youth, he said they don’t need much to start-up a tourist tour business.

He said: “If you have passion to do something, you always have to push it forward and after the initial sacrifice it will pay off. And don’t always wait for someone to come and give you a boost on that.”