THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Now, all bar hotels and beer/wine parlours in the state will remain open till midnight. Also bars operating in 5-star hotels can operate up to 3 am, by paying an additional fee.
Heeding to the demand from various stakeholders, the state government has decided to extend the timings of bar hotels across the state by one hour each in the morning and evening.
The move is expected to provide a fillip to the tourism industry that has been demanding for long an extension of operating hours of bars taking into consideration the rise in demand for booze among tourists.
As per a new notification, bar hotels can function from 10 am to midnight. The previous timing for bar hotels in non-tourism destinations was from 11 am to 11 pm. The government has already issued the notification on the revised timing. The new timing is in effect in the state.
The Excise Minister’s office said the time extension was a long-pending demand from the majority of bar owners. “Bars located in tourism destinations already function from 10 am to 12 am.
Other bar owners were demanding the same timing for them as well,” said a source. Following the demand by bar hotel owners, Excise Minister M B Rajesh had held several rounds of discussions with them. It is in the wake of these discussions that the government revised the timing.
As per the notification - Foreign Liquor (Amendment) Rules 2026 - bar hotels and beer/wine parlours (FL-3, FL-11 licences) can be kept open from 10 am to midnight while those with FL-4A licence - registered private clubs - will continue to have timing from 11 am to 11 pm.
Similarly, bars with 5-star and above can operate till 3 am on payment of an additional annual rental of Rs 5 lakh. However, if the immediate succeeding day is a statutory dry day, they can operate only up to midnight.
The government’s decision has ended discrimination in the sector, according to V Sunil Kumar, former president of Kerala Bar Hotels Association. One third of total bars situated in tourist destinations were already operating under 10 am-12 am timing.
“There were hotels in the same neighbourhood which had different timings. Quite naturally those having less operating time turn out to be losers. Ironically all bars were paying the same fees to the government - Rs 30 lakh,” he said.
Sunil Kumar said the time extension will be of help to office-goers and the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) industry. Earlier people arriving after office had less time. Now they can enjoy and relax, “ he said. This is extremely beneficial in cities, he added.