Nov 14, Colombo: Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau has issued a set of guidelines for the island wide government-owned rest houses.

The rest houses that belong to the state have been leased to private sector for long periods and all these rest houses are to be taken under a common plan.

However, some rest houses are in poor condition without proper up keeping and maintenance and quality of service has declined. Under the common plan, the Tourism Promotion Bureau has set guidelines for vicinity, name boards, uniforms, bedrooms, dining halls, kitchen, rest rooms and other amenities to be subjected to the same standards throughout the island.

The aim of this programme is to bring the network of rest houses back to a vital component of the local tourism industry.

All registered rest houses are to be upgraded under the programme and the rest house managements will be given a time frame to achieve the expected standards.