Abdoulie
Hydara, director general of the Gambia Tourism Board, has said that if tourism
facilities are not kept up to standard, the GTBoard would use all necessary
steps to close them down.
The
GTBoard director general made this statement recently during a countrywide tour
of tourism facilities.
Whether
it is safari camps or any other lodge that is dilapidated in terms of standards
or hygiene, they would not compromise standards, but close it.
“This
was my second tour of tourism facilities, and we have advised them and served
them with notices, but the standard is not really improving and, for that
matter, we need to step in and take another action.
“We
will re-engage them at the level of the office to invite them to meet with us,
but alternatively if the standard does not improve we would have to close them
down,” he added.
Mr
Hydara further said the move was to avoid risk to tourists, whether domestic or
international tourists.
He
said whether it is upcountry or in the the Greater Banjul Area, they have to
have a minimum standard that facilities must have; otherwise, they would make sure
that facilities that are found wanting are deleted from their list.
GTBoard
is not an investment promotion body, which was why they have been directing
people to GIEPA, which is mandated purely for investment purposes in the
country whether domestic or foreign investment, he pointed out.
