The Ghana Tourism Authority’s (GTA) Western Regional Directorate has started a campaign to shut down lodging, dining, and entertainment establishments in the Region that aren’t registered with or authorized by the Authority.
At the end of the first day of the event in Takoradi, Mr. Henry Yeleduor, the Director of Western Regional GTA, highlighted that the Authority is legally obligated under the Tourism Act 817 to officially register and grant licenses to various tourism-related businesses, including hotels, guest houses, hostels, home lodges, and restaurants.
Others include travel agencies, entertainment hubs, meeting spaces, bars, nightclubs, tour operators, vehicle rental agencies, spas, and eateries.
The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) will close some tourism facilities that have not paid their 1% tourism levy as part of the week-long exercise, which will be supported by the Ghana Police Service and is per the Tourism Act 2011 (Act 817).
According to Mr. Yeleduor, these facilities were required to be registered and licensed by the GTA per Legislative Instruments (LI) 2238 and 2239, but they refused to do so. Other facilities also failed to pay their one per cent tourism levy, he continued.
“We are currently out to undertake an enforcement exercise to shut down these units, and they have no right to open them until they come to the office to register and secure a license,” he said.
He urged owners and operators of facilities to make sure they followed the correct steps for obtaining the required permits to continue operating.
The Western Region GTA Director also advised customers who had fallen behind on the Levy to make sure they paid up any due sums to prevent having their facilities closed and then imposed surcharges.
