PaJohn Bentsifi Dadson 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 a 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, Hon. 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 & 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.
Pa John: 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).
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