“Tourism and alcohol go hand in hand”, – this is how the proposal to simplify the sale of alcohol to tourists was justified by the Minister of Tourism of Sri Lanka, Harin Fernando, who called for the relaxation of existing excise rules and other prohibitions, especially in the tourist areas of the countries. “If we hope to revive the industry affected by covid, we must relax these rules,” the minister added.
As the Minister of Tourism stated in the local media, any sober government official should realize that tourists come not only to “enjoy the picturesque beauty of the country”, but also for more earthly joys. “And when they want to order a couple of cocktails, we cannot tell them that the bars are closed,” added Fernando. Alcohol restrictions will push the industry into deeper trouble, he added.
In particular, according to him, a notice will be issued in the near future that allows bars and restaurants in Sri Lanka’s tourist areas to sell alcoholic beverages until 2:00 AM. The issue of extending the time of sale of alcohol in supermarkets is also being resolved. Thus, the Minister of Tourism said that he would discuss this with the Minister of Trade and try to convince the latter to keep alcohol departments in supermarkets open until the closing time of the stores themselves.