Licence renewal fee exempted for SLTDA registered entities

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) registered hotels, service providers, tour guides, and drivers will be exempted from licence renewal fees 
for another year.
The concession that was introduced in 2020 as a part of the COVID-19 relief package extended to the hard-hit sector, will be extended for year 2022 as well, the Ministry of Tourism announced yesterday.

To formalise the status of tourism sector stakeholders, the SLTDA has been instructed by the Tourism Ministry to expedite the registration process of new service providers.
The tourism sector saw the number of registered accommodation providers increase by 39 percent from 2019 due to the simplification of the registration process. The enrolment in the service sector increased by 26 percent.
The Tourism Act mandates all travel agencies and tour operators to be registered with the SLTDA, but many unlicensed entities are in operation.
The SLTDA has also made it mandatory for foreign tourists to book their tours only with registered and licenced guides. Legal action will be taken against companies that use unregistered and unlicensed tour guides to guide foreign tourists.
A total of 5,000 tour guides island-wide have registered with the SLTDA. Among them are 1,680 national guides, 1,388 driving guides, 1,667 regional guides, and 98 local guides.