Hoteliers appeal for government assistance

Sunyani (B/A), Oct. 22, GNA - The Brong-Ahafo regional branch of the Ghana Hoteliers Association (GHA) has appealed to the government to assist it to obtain loans for its members towards the sustenance of their business.

The Association held that loans would greatly help hoteliers to expand their business and maintain high standards.

The Association also appealed to the government to grant them a two-year tax holiday, if the government could not offer them the financial assistance, so that they could seek bank loans to renovate their hotels and repay them on time.

Mr Philip Kofi Ntiamoah, Brong-Ahafo Regional Chairman, joined by other executive members of the Association, made the appeal in a resolution to the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister and copied to all Municipal and District Chief Executives, the Minister of Local Government and the Minister of Tourism and Diasporan Relations at the end of a review meeting in Sunyani.

Mr Ntiamoah who read the resolution, asked the government to financially resource the hotel industry to enable it prepare adequately for upcoming national events such as CAN 2008 tournament and the 50th Independence anniversary.

He indicated that the events are expected to attract a large number of visitors into the country and so it was imperative for the hotels to be adequately resourced to meet ECOWAS standards. He suggested that the Regional Co-ordinating Council should abolish the collection of hotel licence since operators were already paying property rates to the Municipal and District Assemblies. He observed that the Ghana Tourist Board has also been mandated to collect the same fees under Legislative Instrument (LI. 1205) and described it as duplication of such fees.