GH�1m On Christmas Gifts...

Ghana�s top companies will spend a whopping amount of over GHc 1,000,000 on Christmas gifts alone this year, Citi Business News checks reveal. Citi Business News follow-ups with some of the top banks and telcos in the country also reveal that an average of GHc 4,000 will be spent on hampers this Christmas per company as a means of saying �thank you� to their clients. With over 27 banks operating and about five main telecommunication companies operating in the country at the moment, it is estimated that corporate Ghana will be splashing the colossal sum of over GHc 1,000,000 on gifts. On the other hand, hotels are likely to lose out this Christmas on revenue as occupancy rates continue to drop in the last half of the year. Results of occupancy rates showed a decline compared to last year. The high-end hotels which include 4 and 5-star hotels, however, saw high patronage within the first half of the year. The middle and lower end hotels which include three to one-star hotels have also seen revenues drop as a result of low patronage. �Christmas is really a quiet time for the industry, the reason being that you have a lot of business people relaxing with family, not travelling and that is the time for leisure business and so if the leisure business is strong, then they will receive a lot of clientele but if it�s not, they won�t perform so well,� Herbert Quaye, president of the Ghana Hotels Association, explained to Citi Business News.