Some tourists of Ghanaian origin living in the UK just arrived in Ghana on a short holiday. They decided to visit Labadi Pleasure Beach. Following my interaction with them, they described the beach as the worst beach they’ve ever visited. I was flabbergasted whilst I listened to their story. The experience from the gate into the inner part of the beach was problematic. The extorsion and the price difference for perceived foreigners is challenging and not to mention the sanitation condition and the quality of the ocean. I was sad hearing such appalling reviews considering the effort we are all putting in making Ghana the preferred destination in West Africa. Something ought to be done. Action must be taken now. In a bid to validate their story, I decided to read the reviews of other tourists online. I was shock reading similar reviews and decided to publish them below;
Used to be lovely now it’s filthy. Avoid! Emma A London UK
“Sadly, Labadi beach has deteriorated over the years. We’ve been coming to Ghana since the 90s and the beach used to be clean and pleasant with a relaxed vibe. Over the past 8 or so years, it has steadily been going downhill. On our trip in December 2023, we decided to go for old times sakes and hoping since lockdown things would have improved. Sadly, no. I didn’t dare go into the water as there was plastic, empty toothpaste tubes, bottles and even condoms strewn over the beach.
I don’t know what the entrance fee of 20GHC is for. It’s such a shame that it’s being mismanaged. Accra has a lovely coast line but there’s no thought of preserving its beauty or creating aspace that is enjoyable, Shame”
Worst experience ever! Amanda S
“Labadi was the worst beach I have ever visited. The shores of beach is massively polluted, even the sea water looked and smelled different. Once you enter the landing beach zone, you are often stopped by vendors and the whole experience is very annoying because they simply dont leave you alone. I was quite schocked because government doesnt seem to take care of this beach at all.”
Kalamazoo, MI406 contributions Antityco
‘We went on a Friday morning. It wasn’t overly crowed. You have to swim in a relatively small area between some flags, but there was plenty of room on this weekday morning. There are people trying to sell crafts to you, but they took a polite no for an answer. I was here 33 years ago, and the beach certainly doesn’t appear to be any worse than it was there. There are lots of places you can go to get a drink or something to eat. Foreigners pay 20 cedis each for admittance.”
Lisa M A lot of people with horses
“We went to the beach to relax and have some time for ourself, so that’s a illusion. When you are white you need to pay more entrance fee, then when u are at the beach they follow you everywhere, with horses most of the time. But also to get you in to there restaurant, we walked a lot and found a place where it was not so overloaded with people, but even there people are gonna sit next to you and talk.”
Grim, dirty and smelly Jules T
“I had high hopes but the beach is dirty, there is a terrible smell and the place is crammed with chairs and tables. Take some pride Ghana and tidy the place up. It’s a definite no from me. “
Berlin, Germany michaelsontheimer Not to be recommended
“Dirty. Plastic bags all ofer. A lot of hustling. Horrible tourist prices in the restaurants. The music is good, but too loud.”
Mr AnderssonPune, India Just ok hang around
“Costed 15C per person to get in and park the car. (Saturday afternoon)
Worst is the start when the sellers hunt you but once you found a spot to sit in between the tables it is better. Unfortunately, the beach is rather dirty with plastics etc and there are way to many stalls and and whole beach is covered by tables and chairs. Try sitting a row in and you will get a little less of the harassment from vendors etc. A large beer and 2 cola costed 29Cedi which is ok i guess. A bit of extra attention on us as we were white of course but what to expect. Ok spot to hang and relax if you are not intimidated by these things.”
Don’t go if you are white Joe Morgan
“You cannot relax. Beggars everywhere. Leave me alone please. Not relaxing. A drink cost me 45 Cedi and you are bothered by 100s of people. Don’t go here if you are white”.
“If I could give zero stars I would. Vile, disgusting and gross! The worst beach I’ve ever been to! Not only is the beach filled with literal trash (incl. sewage streaming directly into the ocean making the water unusually warm, condom ((wrappers)), and landfill en masse), the staff at the gate is incredibly rude and disrespectful. After being yelled at to pay 15 Cedis per person, we were literally hounded down by vendors trying to sell all types of stuff without allowing exploring and acclimatizing first. After literally yelling at staff in Twi to please leave us alone, we were still being followed around until we walked down to the other end of the beach to escape their vicinity. As mentioned, the beach itself is dirty, the water quality is subpar, and the landfill makes the whole beach smell atrocious. Additionally, you receive unsolicited sexual advances, that make the whole experience even more uncomfortable (seemingly certain tourists frequent the area for exactly that reason…)After deciding to leave, I asked staff at the gate (that was lazily playing cards and drinking) how the 15 Cedis entrance fee are justified, as no amount goes towards making sure the beach is clean (honestly, I’m happy to pay more if some of the entry fees go into preserving the beach and maintaining its cleanliness). Seems like I triggered staff with my questions, as I was rudely told off by the incompetent staff. Disappointing experience throughout.”
Disgusting beach with aggressive pedlars Mike I
“Went to this beach with a friend for a walk , 20 GHS each , not to pricey but I would at least expect a clean beach , plastic and glass as well as clothes on the beach and shore line , the further you walk it just looks like Accra pours it waste onto this beach , such a shame as it could be so lovely
To top all this our was was totally spoilt by very aggressive guys trying to sell what they could to us , almost threatening behaviour , very unlike the very friendly locals I have got to know , on top of everything”
Dirty Katie P
“The beach and water here are quite nice, but there is a lot of trash, and the hawkers are very pushy, so it’s difficult to enjoy yourself”.
Philadelphia, Camperfeliz Filled with trash and aggressive sales people
“This beach is unfortunately covered in trash and I think most people would not want to swim in the water here (a bummer because the water is a lovely temperature). There are many places to sit and have a drink, but many people will approach and try to sell trinkets/art/massages/etc.
t has the potential to be a very nice beach but it’s really pretty gnarly.”
Horrible Beach Monor
“If you want to feel yourself on a dirty beach filled with sellers who are disturbing you in every 10 seconds and you also want to pay an entrance fee for this amazing experience, then this is a place for you!
Me, never again!”
Jeffrey M Depends on where you go. Not recommended.
“Not the safest of places to go to. Lots of tourists and people get hustled for money and a lot of people get robbed during parties and events. It’s not the cleanest of beaches either.”
Nice place, but overpriced Gumarova G
“Labadi beach – nice place, but very dirty beach. It’s good to have there relaxing time with family, and eat nice food. But price little bit overpriced, even entrance fee. I like the pool for young kids.”
Beaches are supposed to be cleaned if they are to attract tourists seeking the 3S i.e., Sea, Sand and Sun. Many tourists who live in the temperate and the artic zone seek destinations that offer good sunshine whist planning their holidays. Countries lying in the tropical zone become the preferred destinations to meet their needs. One place where they can enjoy the sunshine, they seek is at the beach especially the very quiet one’s. A destination like Ghana is a preferred choice. It is therefore very important as a country that we take advantage of the many economic benefits and make Ghana the preferred destination for beach tourism or bathing tourism in West Africa. We face competition from neighboring countries nevertheless if things are done rightly, we shall achieve this objective. It is also important to note that countries such as The United Arab Emirates which was once a small fishing village has over the last 50 years developed rapidly and it beaches and sunshine have been one of the main drives of their economy led by Dubai, the preferred destination for many tourists. At the beginning of the new year, some English football teams move to Dubai to enjoy the sunshine and refresh. If we put in the right measures in place, we shall one day also be a preferred destination for European team? Again, it is worth emphasizing that the success of a tourism destination is highly reliant on the quality of its tourism product. The tourism product is based on available resources in the destination. When it comes to the bathing tourism, as a selective form of tourism, beaches represent the basic resource. The quality of the beach tourism product depends on the way the beaches are managed and it is obvious the way Labadi beach is being managed is not the best. From the above reviews, tourists experiences have been bad. It’s worth noting that there were some few positive reviews. I realized many of the positive reviews were after the La beach was closed and reopened. It will be recalled that, some years back, La Beach Resort was closed down by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA). According to reports, the closure was due to the poor and unsanitary conditions being witnessed by visiting tourists. There was a public outcry for a longtime yet nothing was being done until a video went viral on social media thereby instigating the move. Following the reopening, it’s unfortunate that the current state of the beach remains bad. GTA must step in and ensure the right things are done. I will be glad to receive your reviews by email or what’app.
Philip Gebu is the Founder of Maximum Impact Tourism Club a tourism club with focus on community engagement and development. He is the C.E.O of FoReal Destinations Ltd, a Tourism Destinations Management and Marketing Company. Please contact Philip with your comments and suggestions. Write to forealdestinations@gmail.com / info@forealdestinations.com. Visit our website at www.forealdestinations.com or call or WhatsApp +233(0)244295901/0264295901.Visist our social media sites Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: FoReal Destinations/maximum impact
