Govt. considering further electricity relief extension for hotels

The Government is considering extending the electricity bill grace period given to tourist hotels further on a temporary basis.

Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said that he hoped to discuss the matter with the Power Minister Gamini Lokuge. 

The relief period to settle the electricity bill for hotels and tourist accommodations registered with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) expired on 30 September, but the hoteliers have requested the Tourism Minister to extend it one last time, insisting that they need more time for recovery due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ranatunga also said that efforts to enhance the formal sector had seen good progress with 5,786 tourist accommodations and service establishments being registered with the SLTDA.

In August, Sri Lanka Tourism launched a drive to register informal sector operators with the help of iconic cricketer Kumar Sangakkara. The key objective of the initiative is to absorb tourism services and establishments in the informal sector into the SLTDA registration process. 

A unique video was promoted featuring Sangakkara with the core message, ‘Come, together let’s rebuild the industry we all love!’ The video then went viral.