Eighteen hotels closed down

The Greater Accra regional Secretariat of the Ghana Tourist Board (GTB), has ordered the immediate closure of 18 unlicensed hotels and guest houses in the region. Mr Charles Osei-Bonsu, Regional Manager of GTB, told the GNA on Monday that the assistance of the police has been sought to carry out the exercise with immediate effect.

The board's routine inspection revealed that eight hotels, nine guest houses and a brothel in the region, are operating without licenses. He said it was also revealed that the unlicensed operators and some licensed ones use ordinary exercise books instead of the prescribed hotel register to record the particulars of their customers. ''This leads to the concealment and eventual evasion of the 10 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) charged on hotel and guest houses.

"The situation reveals poor security measures and poor accountability of the 10 per cent VAT collected from customers by some hotels," he stated.

Mr Osei-Bonsu mentioned the unlicensed hotels as Gyasikrom Hotel, Dansoman, Standard Hotel, Kpehe, The Plate Hotel, Nii Boye Town, Achimota Hotel and Hotel Raya, both at Achimota, View Paradise, James Town, Ustah Hotel, Dansoman and Ebeye Yie Hotel, Darkuman.

The defaulting guest houses include, Life and Living Guest House, Santa Maria, Blue Lagoon, Lartebiokorshie, Ray Gardens, Kokomlemle, Paako Guest House, Awoshie, Pecita Guest House, Dansoman and Mensah Inn Rest Stop, Chorkor. The rest are Tokyo Gardens, new Gbawe Happy Stay Guest House, Madina, Young Executive House, North-Kaneshie, Gbormitah Rest House, Abokobi and No Problem Guest House at Big Ada.

At a meeting with the executives of the Greater-Accra Hoteliers Association (GHA), Mr Osei-Bonsu asked leaders of the hotel operators in the region to assist the GTB to rid the industry of unlicensed operators.

He also asked them to support the VAT system, by ensuring that their members keep proper records of customers particulars and account for the 10 per cent VAT collected.

Mr Seth Laryea, Chairman of the GHA assured the GTB of their support for the tourism sector and the VAT system, saying that "the executive would monitor our members and sanction anyone found in such malpractices."