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Business picks up at beaches — Operators
They, however, expressed the hope that they would recover from the immense losses incurred during the closure .
Government imposed restrictions on public gatherings in March 2020 following the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country.
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A visit by The Mirror to the Golden beach resort in Korle Gonno last Monday saw several activities on the beach. Patrons were seen trooping in despite the rains.
The Manager, Mr Michael Nartey, said business was moving steadily following the lifting of the ban on public gatherings.
“It is now picking up small, small, we want to attract more patrons as such we have come up with a number of measures. For instance, we have introduced new dishes which were not on the menu before the pandemic. Very soon, we will introduce more activities such as aerobics and salsa to increase patronage”, he remarked.
At the Nordsea Beach, in the same community, revellers were excited about the lifting of restrictions.They were anxiously waiting for the rains to subside for activities to begin.The Manager, Mr David Sackey, told the reporters that although he was happy the ban had been lifted, some operators were struggling to catch up.
“it is like we are starting all over, we are hoping business will bounce back. We are coming up with very interesting programmes to get more people to patronise this resort. The closure adversely affected our business and paying our staff was a challenge. We are glad to be back, he said.
Manager at the Sunset beach resort, also in Korle Gonno , Mr Earl Perigrino, also shared similar sentiments.
“We are expecting more people to come in following the easing of the restrictions. Business was a bit encouraging this Easter, he added.
An Associate manager at the Sandbox beach club at La in Accra, Mr Anthony Owiredu expressed hope that they would recover some of the losses made during the closure.
“ Patrons are assured of safety here. We just hope things would be much better as it used to be before COVID-19 set in. Patronage during the Easter festivities was a bit encouraging, we organised an event for children and the turn out was good, he added.
At the La pleasure beach, a reveller, who gave his name only as Harrison, could not hide his joy.
“It has been a while, it feels so good to be at the beach once more after a long break”.
A staff of the beach, who spoke on condition of anonymity, appealed to management to increase their salaries , since they had resumed
operations.
“The pay is very small . Once the beaches are open now, they should do something about our salary, they should also pay attention to sanitation here, he added.
Business operators at the beach said they made some gains during the Easter holidays and expressed the hope to make even more in the coming days.
At the Calabash beach resort at Sakumono, the owner, Madam Grace Boateng, said although high patronage was recorded, during the festivities, sales were not impressive.
“ People came in their numbers to have fun, but they did not buy much. Times are hard,” she said.
“ This Easter we made half of the sales we make every year during the same period, there is no money in the system, she added.
