Closed down: Tourism Authority gets tough on Eastern Region hospitality facilities

The Eastern Region, the third most populous region in the country after the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions, has numerous tourist sites and hospitality facilities numbering about 700 with new ones under construction.

The facilities are primarily hotels, guest houses, catering spots or restaurants.

Many such facilities, which have over the years attracted visitors and holiday makers in and outside the region, have been operating within the stipulated regulations.

However, others have not been operating within the rules and guidelines of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), the regulatory body of the facilities.

Clean environment

Those operating within the GTA regulations are clean and safe with their environments and rooms properly kept to make visitors feel at home.

Odefo Grills, a restaurant in Koforidua without operating licence closed down during the exercise

On the other hand, quite a number of such tourist facilities are nothing to talk about.

They are dirty with filthy environments and rooms, which under normal circumstances should not be allowed to operate.

To ensure that such bad facilities operate within the confines and regulations of the GTA, its officials last Monday undertook an inspection tour of all the facilities in the region to ensure that the operators do the right thing.

The exercise, which started last Monday, was scheduled to end yesterday, Friday, September 12, 2025.

Inspection

In all, about 45 tourist facilities and sites made up of hotels, guest houses popularly known as budget and restaurants, as well as tourist sites, among others, were inspected.

GTA officials interacting with the facility manager at Samaki Guest House in Koforidua

That was after the GTA had notified them of the exercise because they were operating illegally in contravention of the Tourism Act 817 (2011).

The GTA officials' exercise was to ensure absolute compliance and best practices of the authority's regulations.

However, all the facilities visited failed the litmus test and were forced to close down.

While many did not have operational licences, others were not registered, and some licences had expired, making it illegal to do business.

Further, some of the facilities were operating within dirty environments with rooms not quite good for temporary habitation by visitors.

Some of the facilities visited had their rooms emitting unpleasant smells and their compounds overgrown with weeds.

Despite the unkempt environment, enquiries revealed that people had been booking to lodge in them.

Facilities

The facilities closed down for similar reasons were the Ampser Guest House, Samaki Guest House, Sky Queency Guest House, Odefo Grills, Momentum Bar and Grill, Woodlands Travel, E-Save Travel and Tours, Susu Sei Me Guest House and Beyond Tours, all in Koforidua.

The Samaki Guest House in Koforidua was also closed down

Others were Nene Ekpkeu at Somanya, Huhunya Rocks Hotel at Asesewa, Wadiva Waterfront Inn at Adome, Lake Club House at Atimpoku, NP Plaza Hotel at Akosombo, Alberiah Guest House at Atimpoku, Clemento Guest House at Asesewa, Volta Safari at Senchi, Barimah Asiamah Guest House at Akim Awenare, Queens Village Hotel at Akim Swedru, Vicbbed Guest House at Akyem Tuma, Big Three at Akim Oda and Susu Biribi Guest House.

The rest are Arthur Badoo's Guest House at Mampong, Quest Hostel and Lodge at Brekuso, Bendu Village Resort at Kitase, Mangrove Guest House at Mampong, Joe Mel Guest House at Akyem Tafo, Lebene Pub and Grill at Akyem Tafo, Point 3 Hotel at Suhum, Hasevi Hotel at Osino, Yesu Mo at Osino, Yafafa Guest House at Suhum, Silver Spoon at Suhum, Obaa Golden Plaza at New Abirem and New City Guest House at Asamankese.

GTA's regulations

In an interview with the Eastern Regional Director of the GTA, Dinah Adu-Owusu, after the inspection and enforcement exercise, she said the action had become necessary because such tourism facilities made up of hotels, guest houses and restaurants had not been operating with the guidelines and regulations of the GTA.

She explained that while others were not operating within the confines of the GTA's regulations, many were not even licensed or registered to do business and were therefore operating illegally.

The GTA regional director indicated that since it was not possible to inspect all such facilities, the exercise would serve as a signal for those hiding and operating illegally.

That, Mrs Adu-Owusu said, would compel them to do the right thing to avoid any sanction or total closure.

Defaulting facilities 

Highlighting punitive measures to be taken against such defaulting facilities, she stated that many of the operators would be prosecuted in the law courts.

That to the GTA regional director would serve as a deterrent to others, saying the hospitality and catering industry should always be associated with cleanliness, devoid of any illegality.

"As operators, you have to provide decent accommodation to the travelling public, so if you are offering substandard services, it affects them and is an indictment on the GTA, the regulator.

"We are here closing all defaulting facilities because we have talked to them, but they did not take our advice," Mrs Adu-Owusu stated.

She stated that the GTA would continue to ensure that tourism facility owners complied with best practices for the delivery of standard services to their customers.

Regularise operations

Mrs Adu-Owusu said some facility owners operating illegally quickly visited the office of the GTA in Koforidua immediately after their closure, paid the necessary stipulated fees and were currently going through the documentary process to regularise their operations.

She stated that the regional GTA officials would sustain the enforcement exercise throughout the year to weed out illegally operating tourism and hospitality facilities in the region.

“Beyond the fact that operating a hospitality facility without a valid operational licence issued by the GTA is an act of illegality, it also borders on issues of compromising on standards of facilities, security and safety of patrons, and accommodation services in Ghana," she said.

The GTA, Mrs Adu-Owusu stated, would, therefore, marshal its resources to ensure that all operators work in a very congenial atmosphere, while those that constantly flouted the laws would be made to face the full rigours of the law,” she stated.

Collaboration

An effective collaboration of major tourism and hospitality stakeholders, the regional director said, was essential for the success of the tourism industry.

“We urge all patrons of hospitality facilities to always look out for the GTA's valid operational licence (validity is January 1 to December 31), which is supposed to be boldly displayed at the reception. Facilities without operational licences must not be patronised,” she stated.

As a regulator of a service industry that is aimed at protecting the image of the country in a positive light, it is important to maintain and instil sanity in the industry by ensuring that operators comply with the rules, standards and laws that govern it while potential operators also meet all legal requirements to be able to practise," the GTA regional director said.

Guests

Some of the guests in the hotel rooms at the time of the closure told the Daily Graphic that they were not happy about the GTA's exercise because they had to leave before the actual date, although they had fully paid for their stay.

They said they were not sure of getting a refund of the amount paid, but all the same they would leave the guest houses.

The affected guests were made up of students and business people from Accra, Koforidua and other parts of the Eastern Region.

They appealed to GTA to in such circumstances be lenient with hospitality operators by tempering justice with mercy.

"We don't feel comfortable at all. We were even sleeping when the GTA officials knocked on our room doors and asked us to park our belongings and leave the premises.

“It has affected us so much because getting our monies back will be difficult, so the GTA must exercise patience with the hotel and guest house operators," the guests registered their frustration.

Writer's email: haruna.wunpini@graphic.com.gh