The Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has said that it would clampdown on hotels without sign post across the state.
Adebimpe Akinsola, the Permanent Secretary and also the Acting Commissioner for the Ministry, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Sunday.
She said that any hotel operating without displaying a sign-post was operating illegally.
Akinsola said: “It is an offence for a hotel to be operating without signage.
“The state government is committed to monitor and hunt any hotel operating without a sign post.
“Any hotel found wanting will be brought to book and face the punishment.”
Akinsola said that the move was to checkmate the activities of the hotels in order to rid the state of criminality.
She said: “Some criminals are fond of using some of the unregistered hotels to carry out their evil deeds.
“Therefore, it is necessary to check such vices by clamping down on such illegal hotels. As we are talking, the ministry’s monitoring team is on surveillance to identify the violators.”
Akinsola, however, noted that the ministry would neither tolerate nor accept any unregistered hotel to operate in the state.
Akinsola also said the state government would soon upgrade all the tourist sites, monuments and heritage sites across the state to international standard.
She said the government wanted to ensure that the city/state becomes the most preferred tourist destination in West Africa sub-region.
She said: “We want to use tourism to turn around the economy of the state and also make Lagos State a tourism-hub in West Africa.”
The acting-commissioner, however, said that the ministry would host the Lagos Street Party on December 3 and 4.
She said that the gesture was to showcase the food, culture and way of life of Lagosians to the outside world.
Akinsola stated: “Security will be guaranteed, there will be free buses to transport people to Kuramo Beach Front, Victoria Island, its venue.”
She said that the government was also planning to develop the water transportation as alternative to road transportation.
Akinsola said that the Lagos State Tourism Master plan would be review for implementation.
NAN reports that Adebimpe Akinsola was appointed as the acting commissioner for the Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture on October 12.
