SLTDA Urged to Reconsider New Tourism Draft Bill

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) was urged by the Hotels Association of Sri Lanka as well as the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators to reconsider and revise a new tourism draft bill. These two organisations expressed their views at a press briefing held on 10th March 2022 in Colombo; they stressed that the new act would give undue powers to SLTDA as well as other state officials on various matters with immunity against prosecution. They also pointed out that while they had given their proposals for new reforms to the Minister of Tourism, Prasanna Ranatunga, none of these had been incorporated in their entirety into the draft bill. It will be hoped that suitable revisions will be made for this bill after dialogue between state and private sector stakeholders.

It should be noted that tourism on the island continues to get back on track with more and more travellers arriving this year. They can once more experience the very best of the island too; this encompasses everything from the idyllic beaches of the south coast to the misty mountains of the hill country, home to some of the best hotels in Nuwara Eliya. These include the ‘Safe & Secure’ certified Heritance Tea Factory where tourists can enjoy unique stays at a converted tea factory that dates to the 19th-century.