Tourists ask government to address sanitation issues at beaches

Some foreign tourists who thronged Accra’s beaches to relish the serenity the beaches provide have urged the Government to fix sanitation issues at the beaches.

Whiles expressing love for the country’s beaches as it satisfied their needs of relaxation and entertainment, the tourists said with good sanitation, the beaches could be the toast for many more foreign tourists.

Ms Lotte De Bert, a nursing intern from the Netherlands, who visited one of the beaches with her friends, said the continued littering of the beaches, if not urgently addressed could deter other tourists.

“The nature is very beautiful and very different from the Netherlands. You can’t compare anything here to the Netherlands. We love it and its very beautiful. Clean the beaches a little more to attract more tourists,” she said.

Layla Chedid, a Lebanese, and mother of three, in the company of her family, also said Ghana was a great tourist destination and that constant tidying of the beaches would attract others.

” I love the restaurants, food, and the people because they are hospitable. You have a beautiful country with beautiful sceneries so please keep such spaces clean,” she added.

Grace Johnson, a Nigerian resident in Ghana, who came to the beach with three other female friends, praised the country for being a “peaceful place” to have fun without fear.

Ghana’s hospitality industry was greatly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing a lock down in 2020.

The lock down affected the operations of amusement centres and beaches.

Ms Mary Quashie, a palm wine seller, at Labadi Beach, told the GNA that she was affected by the pandemic but business had since improved.

On issues of safety at the beach, Emmanuel Torgbor Obodai, a senior lifeguard, said they had collaborated with the Marine Police Unit and rescue groups to ensure that nobody got drowned, robbed, or harassed.

Mr Samuel Kotey Neequaye, General Manager, La Pleasure Beach Resort, responding to the issues of sanitation, said the filth from nearby Kpeshie Lagoon was deposited at the shores of the beach when it rained.

“…We have the Kpeshie lagoon that enters the sea through our end. It brings a lot of filth, especially when it rains. Also filth from Burma Camp, La township and the La General Hospital drains is deposited here. The Sea is always drifting eastwards, so it pushes the rubbish to our place from the west,” he said.

Mr. Neequaye said management of the Resort had engaged the services of Zoomlion and Alliance Waste, both sanitation companies, to help tackle the sanitation issues.