Facilities not kept to standard will be closed down, says GTboard DG

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.