This week, Sri Lanka lifted a longstanding 1954 regulation that prevented women from working as hotel and restaurant waitresses after 22.00, a change welcomed by the country’s hospitality industry. Notably, the previous rule did not apply to other female workers in the sector.
“It is understood that this legislation is very old and the economic opportunities have changed drastically since 1954 with the expansion of the new industries. Thus, this revision was considered following stakeholder lobbying to amend the law,” said cabinet spokesman and minister Nalinda Jayatissa at the weekly post-Cabinet meeting media briefing on Monday.
Under previous regulations, female employees over 18 could work as hotel receptionists, female coat room attendants, or employees of female garments rooms and washrooms between 18.00 and 06.00. However, female servers in hotels or restaurants were restricted from working late at night, causing operational difficulties since food service was limited to 22.00.
Chandra Wickremesinghe, a veteran hotelier and owner of Thema Collection – which recently opened the first all-women operated hotel in Sri Lanka – called the move a good step.
“If nurses can do night work, why can’t female hotel employees work at night? This is an absurd regulation,” he said. He also noted the change could encourage more women to join the workforce, which currently represents only 10 per cent of employees. However, he stressed that hoteliers need to provide accommodation and support facilities for female staff working late hours.
Rodney Armstrong, resident manager of Mahaweli Reach Hotels, called the change a huge plus point and said offering accommodation and transport would encourage more women to join the workforce. M Shanthikumar, president of the Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, also praised the move and emphasised the importance of providing safe transport or accommodation for employees finishing work at midnight.
Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is growing steadily, targeting 2.5 million visitors in 2025, up from two million in 2024. The main source markets in 2024 were India, Russia, the UK, Germany and China.
