Sri Lanka Rupee depreciates against USD

Public sign boards in a foreign language to be removed

A circular to be issued to remove public sign boards which are in a foreign language, Provincial Councils Minister Vajira Abeywardena said today. He said that all Government officials have been informed that public sign boards can only be in Sinhalese, Tamil or English and not any other language. Abeywardena said that not just Government institutions, but even private institutions will need to comply with the instructions. The Minister specifically noted that if any sign board is in Arabic th

26 May, 2019

Minimum room rate imposed on Colombo hotels removed

The minimum room rate imposed on Colombo hotels has been removed with immediate effect. The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) said that the decision was taken as a result of the severe impact the Easter Sunday attacks had on the tourism industry. SLTDA also said that it is better for the market forces to decide the room rates rather than for SLTDA to dictate terms due to the prevailing situation. Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka dropped following the Easter Sunday attacks, especial

27 May, 2019

Airline defends action taken on passenger heading to Colombo

SriLankan Airlines defended action taken on a passenger who had arrived from Melbourne to Colombo last week. The said passenger had boarded UL 605 in Melbourne on 23rd of May 2019, and had shown unsettled behaviour depicting extreme stress well into the flight, the airline said. Further, the said passenger had been instigating conversation with other passengers onboard on a religious nature, SriLankan Airlines said. Despite the crew engaging with the passenger during the meal service and duri

27 May, 2019