The new secretary of state for tourism and culture, Ms Angela Colley has issued a demolition notice to beach bar owners from Tanji to Kartong, Senegambia News has confirmed.


According to the demolition notice, the department of tourism and culture which is under the state department of  local government and lands will start a demolition exercise of all "illegal" structures situated in the Tourism Development Area TDA; from Tanji to Kartong beginning August 2nd 2007.


The notice called on all those with businesses that have not been legally registered in the TDA to report to the state department of local government and lands before the start of the demolition exercise.


Our Banjul correspondent visited Tanji and Brufut where he met with beach bar owners.
Lamin Sarr, a beach bar owner in Tanji said  every new secretary of state comes with new ideas that are not in the interest of the state. He lamented the institutionalised corruption at the department of tourism and culture. He said corrupt practices led to the dismissal of Habib Drammeh and Yankuba Touray as director and secretary of state respectively.


Fatou Sohna-Cham,beach bar manager in Brufut said beach bars are owned by Gambians and the government's decision to demolish will only add to the unemployment crisis in the impoverished country.


It would be recalled that former local government minister carried out a similar exercise in 2000 which affected many businesses in the tourism industry. Many tourists prefer beach bars to an all too familiar luxury bars in major hotels.
This is because tourists prefer walking along the sandy beaches of little Gambia.