22/02/2026
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Sri Lankan tourism authorities, with the help of law enforcement agencies, have intensified their crackdown on illegal foreign-run tourist businesses in the country.
According to officials, the joint operations are spearheaded by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, with assistance from the Sri Lanka Police and the Department of Immigration and Emigration.
Through the initiative, the government plans to enforce the law strictly against foreign nationals conducting unapproved business activities in the travel and hospitality sector. At the same time, the government will also be taking legal action against locals who facilitate, front, or collaborate in these unauthorized ventures. In 2025, these operations resulted in the apprehension of 75 individuals and the deportation of 15 foreign nationals.
To adapt to the ground-level needs of these operations, the police department is restructuring and expanding its specialized divisions. Following ministerial directives, the police plan to establish over 80 new or restructured tourism police units across all designated tourism zones in the country to maintain strict vigilance.
The crackdown operations comprise a major part of the government’s broader strategy to absorb the country’s informal tourism industry into the formal economy. At the same time, the government is in the process of drafting a new tourism act and is updating and reorganizing other legislative frameworks.
