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Tour Guide expresses concern about
lack of facilities to promote tourism
Takoradi, Sept. 23, Ghanadot/GNA - Mr Nkunu Akyea, President
of Tour Guides Association of Ghana last Saturday expressed
concern about lack of places of convenience along major
roads and at vantage points in cities and urban centres.
He noted that lack of these facilities had caused a
nightmare to tourists and tour guides when leading visitors
to places of interest whether within cities and urban
centres or travelling in the country.
Mr Akyea made the observation when guiding a tour organized
by Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) for Members of Parliamentary
Select Committee on Trade and Tourism, Private Tour
Operators, Executives of Ghana Tourism Federation (GHATOF)
and staff of GTB to selected attraction sites in the Central
and Western Regions.
The committee led by Mr Joseph Boakye Danqauah, Member of
Parliament for Abuakwa North and the other groups were
expected to visit Kakum National Park and Elmina Castle in
the Central Region and Nzulenzu in the Western Region.
Mr Akyea explained that even though there was a law
requesting managements of filling stations to allow visitors
and travellers to use their places of convenience, they
refused to comply because the public sometimes took
advantage of the law to misuse such facilities.
He said: "When we are on a tour like this, we only pray that
nobody should have the urge to respond to nature's call or
we will have a problem".
Mr Akyea noted that even though most of the filling stations
allowed visitors and travellers to use their facilities they
were an eyesore adding, "sometimes people living near the
filling stations use their facilities as permanent places of
convenience".
Mr Edwin Owusu-Mensah, Deputy Executive Director in-charge
of Operations at GTB said the board was aware of such a
problem but as an implementation agency they could not
venture into the building of places of convenience.
He said to encourage private sector participation in such
ventures the board instituted the highway rest stop concept
to encourage people to establish such facilities along the
highways.
"Currently we have about four rest stops on the main
Accra-Kumasi highway and about four on the Accra-Cape Coast
highway. The board has toured the country for other
potential places," he added.
Mr Owusu-Mensah said the board instituted a fee of five
Ghana pesewas for urinating and 10 Ghana cedis to attend
nature's call.
He said the tourism sector would soon set up a micro finance
project to finance such projects by the private sector.
Commenting on the lack of places of convenience in the
cities, Mr Owusu-Mensah said the board was negotiating with
the Ghana@50 Secretariat to provide mobile places of
convenience at vantage points to enhance the current
situation.
He said the board would in addition assist in erecting
signposts to educate the public about the availability of
such facilities.
GNA
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