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Gambia News : GTA launches first ever classification shields
The Gambia Tourism Authority (GTA) yesterday launched the classification shields for hotels in the country.
The classification of hotel implies giving hotels grades such as 5-star or 3-star hotels.
The event was held at Ocean Clippers Restaurant at the Ocean Bay Hotel and Resort in Bakau.
In her opening remarks at the occasion, Mrs. Angela Andrews Njie, chairperson of GTA’s Hotel Classification Committee noted that since the onset of tourism in The Gambia, classification of hotels have been vested in the hands of tour operators.
She said the tourism regulatory body however has seen reasons in recent times to take the bull by the horn and set guidelines which are in conformity with international standards. She said the classification exercise would thus present and crown 3 hotels out of 31 hotels in the country. These hotels, she said, have met all the criteria to be crowned as 5-Star and 3-Star hotels.
Both Ocean Bay Hotel and Resort and Sheraton Hotel were classified as 5-Star hotels while Sunset Hotel was classified as a 3 star hotel.
According to Njie, great strides are underway to present 10 more hotels with their shields, as they (the hotels) are already working to fulfill the required standards.
The chairperson went further to establish that many things are considered before hotels could be graded as belonging to any of the classes under the classification shield.
These include the quality of service delivery; hotel facilities as well as the quality of rooms available at their disposal. All these are taken into accounts before an appropriate classification could be given, she said.
Speaking further, Mrs. Njie acknowledged with the great efforts of the GTA in ensuring that there are a number of organizations and institutions which continue to contribute in one way or another to sustain The Gambia’s tourism sector.
She concluded by saying that the license will serve for two year and is liable for renewal. She also called on other hotels to conclude arrangements about the standard they offer so that they could be graded also.
Also speaking at the occasion, Mr. Alieu Secka, chairman of the gambia hotels Association said tremendous efforts have been undertaken by both the committee and the GTA to make the event possible.
While he described the occasion as the first of its kind in the country, he said it demonstrates the great work the GTA have embarked on to propel the country’s tourism destination to higher heights.
Secka underscored that the issue of meeting the standard criteria to be graded is no longer a choice for the hotels but a requirement for hotels. According to him, it is necessary that all hotel operators in the country abide by the rules, urging them to feel challenged by meeting set criteria in order to be graded and crowned with their respective statuses.
He said the standards set to classify hotels will go a long way in making our destination appealing to tourists and also for tour operators to endorse our destination as a viable competitor in the international arena as well as to pave the way for the steady growth of the destination’s products from strength to strength.
The GHA chairman further congratulated the recipients of this honor, tourism stakeholders, the GTA and more importantly the Classification Committee who has demonstrated high sense of professionalism to make the occasion possible.
Mr. Nuha Touray, deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Culture formally handed the classification shields to the general managers of Ocean Bay Hotel, Sheraton Hotel International and Sunset Hotel on behalf of the honorable minister.
Both managers expressed delight for the honour and thanked their staff for making it possible.
Ms Binta Jobe, director of Quality Control and Licensing at GTA, in her closing remark noted her institute’s appreciation for the pivotal role and support rendered to them by the government.
She also underscored the commitment, dedication and sincerity of the group of expert who worked tirelessly on the grading process.
Ms Jobe went further to pin-point the seven long years of tireless work: “This will ease burden on our suppliers and partners especially tour operators.
It will make them to have an in-depth knowledge of our destination,” she said, thanking all who had contributed in whatever way to make this day possible.
The presentation ceremony brought together a cross section of the tourism fraternity.
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