Kumasi, Aug. 13, GNA - The Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) on Wednesday closed down 11 hotels and restaurants in the Ashanti Region for operating either illegally or under poor conditions. Eight of these, including Lavikus, Lizzie's Hotel Annex, Garden City, Sir Tony's Lodge, Innkeepers Guest House, Clarke Guest House, Maa 'U's Kitchen and Underground Guest House are in Kumasi. Two of the remaining three, Asuo Gardens Guest House and Simple Guest House are in the Kwabre district, with the Sports Hotel Annex located in the Afigya-Kwabre district.

Mrs Mavis Gyasi-Afriyie, a Principal Resource Officer of the Board, who led a team of GTB of officials and policemen to lock up those facilities, said this was part of measures to enforce acceptable standards.

She announced that a total of 89 hotels and restaurants had been marked out for closure in the region.

She expressed concern about the situation where some of the hospitality facilities, without approved licenses from the Board, were doing brisk business and under sub-standard conditions. She was particularly worried about the unhygienic conditions under which some of the hotels and restaurants worked, saying that, the GTB would never allow them to operate with impunity. Mrs Gyasi-Afriyie said the exercise would be sustained to bring sanity through best practices and maintenance of high standards in the industry.

She called on owners and managers of hotels and restaurants to co-operate with the Board to raise standards and attract more tourists. The Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Peter Theophilus Acheampong, cautioned establishments, which were yet to receive licenses from the Board not to operate in their own interest. 13 Aug. 09