AYV News, August 2, 2024
The Parliamentary Committee on Tourism and Cultural Affairs, probed into hotel and guesthouse managements for compliance. The investigation was held at the Conference Room of New Building at Parliament at Tower Hill in Freetown.
The Committee Members looked into certificate of Registration with National Tourist Board, minimum wage salary, recent audited report, waste management, corporate social responsibility (CSR), relationship with the community, payment for staff contributions to National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT), Environmental Impact Assessment license, staff welfares, Pay as you earned (PAYE), working permit amongst others.
The View Hotel at Freetown City Council was in compliance with all requirements but lacked Environment Impact Assessment license.
Mozak Resorts is undertaking corporate Social responsibility in the York community and most of the workers are host community residents. The witness told the Committee that heavy taxation from Government is their challenge.
Sellieu Babatel Hotel is not currently operating owing to challenges, but is currently under renovation. According to the witness the Hotel would operate in the next month.
Medrie International Hotel at Lumely Beach lacked most of the documents of compliance and CSR.
Malador Real Estate has not commenced operation, but with the vision to establish real estate. It is a new business that has obtained registration.
Sweet Mother Guest House did not present NASSIT contributions for its staff members for 2024, no PAYE, no staff list at the time of appearance.
Franco Diving Center at Sussex operating hotel and guest house controlled their waste, employed community residents started operation in 1994, support pupils and maintain roads to their facility. They are envisaging electricity challenges, water and bad road network in the community.
The Place Guest did not produce proper documentation, registration license was not appropriate and the Committee observed that the latter had been operating illegally.
Dupsal Resorts did not produce essential documents and was stood down for further scrutiny.
The Committee discovered that Sky Inn Motel was unable to produce some documentation available for questioning. The Committee ordered the manager or proprietor to appear on Monday and not the junior staff that represented them.
The Committee observed that proprietor/proprietress or senior management are indulged in the habits of sending junior staff members to represent them for Committee’s probing.
Key challenges affecting the businesses according to the witnesses include electricity, waste management, heavy taxation from Government, inadequate water supply, bad road network amongst others.