The Sri Lankan government is taking steps to regulate online hotel booking platforms, citing concerns over tax contributions from existing operators, Foreign Affairs and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath said.
Speaking in Parliament today, Herath said the government has initiated discussions with local companies to introduce multiple booking platforms to break the dominance of a single entity in the sector. He also noted that existing platforms, including Booking.com, operate in Sri Lanka without officially registering or contributing taxes.
“Currently, hotel room bookings through online platforms are controlled by one entity. We are working to introduce multiple platforms while ensuring that the existing ones comply with regulations and contribute their due taxes. Companies like Booking.com make significant profits from Sri Lanka but do not pay the necessary tax revenue,” he said.
Herath added that a group of Sri Lankans in Brisbane, Australia, has developed an alternative OTP-based platform as part of efforts to reduce the monopoly in online hotel bookings. (NewsWire)
