No more extensions: Tourism establishments told to renew liquor licences before year-end

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has announced that no further extensions will be granted for liquor licences and all tourism establishments must apply for fresh renewal.
In a notice to all stakeholders, the SLTDA stressed that in contrast to the previous years, where extensions were granted, tourism establishments must renew their licence before the end of the year.

“This means that both customers and establishments must obtain their SLTDA licences for the year 2024, to continue enjoying the privilege of holding a liquor licence beyond 2023,” the SLTDA said.
Due to the conditions that prevailed in the country, during the last few years, the SLTDA made recommendations for the renewal of liquor licence, ignoring the established procedures, which included overlooking having a valid SLTDA licence for the current year. 

The Excise Department granted liquor licences based on the prior year’s SLTDA recommendations.
For the coming year, the renewal process is set to commence in October 2023.  The deadline for the SLTDA licence renewal is set at December 31, 2023 and the failure to renew within the set time frame would result in the discontinuation of the prevailing liquor licences for the year 2024, the SLTDA said.