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Illegal beach bars’ in tourism area to be demolished

May 12, 2015, 10:32 AM

The Ministry of Tourism and Culture and the Gambia Tourism Board are embarking on a clean-up operation to demolish “illegally constructed” beach bars within the Tourism Development Area (TDA).

The GTBoard said the demolition exercise “is in cognizant of the massive encroachments” on the TDA of such structures that harbour bumsters.

The demolition exercise is in line with the GTBoard’s mandate to ensure standards within the tourism industry and as outlined by the Tourism Regulations, 2011, the tourism authority explained.

“Beach bar owners and operators that have not met the requisite standards and who were served with demolition notices are, therefore, urged to remove all belongings within the illegal premises,” it said.

In 2012, the GTBoard, in collaboration with the Department of Physical Planning, carried out an assessment on all beach bars within the TDA.

“During the process, beach bars that have not met the minimum standards were served with notices,” the board said.

“All illegal beach bar owners and operators within the TDA already served with the demolition notices in 2012, September 2014, and on 4 May 2015 that their illegal beach bars will be demolished in the ensuing weeks,” GTBoard said.