Ho, Sept. 10, GNA - The Volta Regional Office of the Ghana Tourist Board has begun an exercise to close down unlicensed hotels and bars in the region. Seven hotels and bars were closed down on Thursday for operating without the requisite documents and these are Pensioners Hall, Fiave Lodge, King Fisher and Lord's Hotel. The exercise was carried out by officers of the board in the company of the police.

The rest are the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) Hostel, Top Club, all in Ho and Pleasant Dreams at Kpetoe among others. Mr Sulemana Amadu, Resource Officer in charge of the exercise, said most hotels and bars in the region were without any document and had been operating illegally since their inception.

He said some have substandard facilities therefore could not invite the Tourist Board for inspection.

"You will be surprised that some big hotels in town do not have doormats, enough bedspreads and pillows but are charging huge sums of money without paying anything to government," Mr Amadu said. He said offenders would have to pay a penalty of 50 per cent of the licensing fee of four Ghana cedis, register with six Ghana cedis and pay allowances for officers to inspect their facilities for their places to be re-opened.