Bibiani (W/R), Aug. 28, GNA - The Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) is to close down 24 out of the 137 hotels in the Western Region for operating illegally.

Some of the hotels earmarked for closure do not have licence from the GTB while others have been identified as having poor facilities including dilapidated buildings.

Mr Jacob Oti Awere, Western Regional Manager of the GTB, said this at Bibiani on Wednesday at the start of the exercise. The Toppers Inn and Mamosa Hotel at Bibiani and the Western Continental Hotel at Sefwi-Wiawso were closed down.

The Taskforce, which arrived at the hotel premises unannounced, locked up the hotel rooms after explaining their mission to the hotel managers and lodgers and escorted the Managers and caretakers to the Police station where their statements were taken.

Mr Awere said Managers of the affected hotels would be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent.

He said the exercise in the Western Region formed part of a national programme to enforce standards for hotels in a bid to ensure quality service and also protect the customer at all times.

Mr Awere advised the travelling public against lodging in hotels that operated illegally since they would also be guilty of infringing on regulations pertaining to the operation of hotels.

"You should always insist on lodging in hotels where the GTB licence is openly displayed at the reception," he said.

Mr E Owusu-Mensah, Acting Deputy Director of Operations of the GTB, said a permanent monitoring team had been set up by the GTB that would conduct random inspection of hotels to ensure that standards were maintained at all levels.