In an effort to expand the accommodation offering, the Tourism Ministry urges the owners of unoccupied properties to open up their homes to tourists. 

Tourism Minister Harin Fernando this week urged property owners to register their accommodation with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), so that the international visitors will have a broader range of accommodation options to choose from. 

“There are so many apartments and beautiful houses that are closed with only the caretaker residing in them. Such properties can generate a substantial income for the owners, if only they open them up to tourists. So, I urge them to register with the SLTDA for this purpose,” said Fernando addressing a press conference that shared the progress of the tourism sector so far.

He noted that doing so would help bring to Sri Lanka a concept similar to that of Airbnb and help the owners generate an income via the unoccupied properties. 

Data from the SLTDA showed that for 2023, up to August 8, 453 establishments were registered under the accommodation sector. For the whole of 2022, a total of 382 establishments

were registered.  Accordingly, the SLTDA has 4,227 establishments registered under the accommodation sector. 

The SLTDA has been active in its efforts to get tourism service providers in the informal sector to register with it, so that it can monitor the standards.