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Foreign tour guides operating illegally put on notice
View(s):By Wasantha Ramanayake
Illegal tourist guiding harms the industry and reduces service quality, attracting low-spending visitors, said Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairperson Buddhika Hewawasam.
He rejected claims by some industry experts that SLTDA’s Supreme Court undertaking to stop illegal guiding would hinder achieving the US$5 billion revenue target for 2026. Curbing such illegalities would actually encourage high-spending tourists, he said, referring to SLTDA’s position in a fundamental rights case in July last year. The enforcement unit has successfully acted against unlicensed guides leading tourist groups, in line with the court undertaking.
SLTDA says it is implementing the SC ruling that bans foreign tour guides
Curbing illegal guiding would enhance the quality and reliability and guarantee the satisfaction of tourists. “Formalising the industry by proper regulation would be the way forward to attract the high-spending tourists who have the capacity to spend more than US$ 148 (per day),” he said.
SLTDA has established the enforcement unit. The Inspector General of the Police has issued instructions to the Tourist Police to establish the divisions. The enforcement unit functions with the support of the police and Immigration Department. “The legal action should be continued to stop the illegal guiding, and I firmly believe it,” he said, adding it is vital for the sustainable development of the industry.
All the stakeholders are conceptually in agreement and collectively working to curb unlicensed and illegal activities and provide better quality service to attract high-spending tourists.
The SLTDA has made several arrests of unlicensed persons while providing guiding services to foreign tourists in December.
The SLTDA’s enforcement unit would take legal action against foreign illegal guides operating with tourist visas. They will be produced before a court of law by the Immigration Department under the Immigration Act. “That is very straightforward,” he said. “Illegal guiding by foreign nationals, which is widespread, should be stopped at any cost. They contribute to revenue leakage.’’
Mr Hewawasam said legal action could also be taken against locals operating unlicensed tourism establishments.
Persons without either a national or chauffeur tourist guide lecturer’s licence cannot lead tourist groups in Sri Lanka, he explained. “Illegal guides as well as organisations using them could be penalised under the Tourism Act.’’ SLTDA has informed all registered tour operators to not use unlicensed guides. Registrations of those employing unlicensed guides could be cancelled after a warning.
Similarly, locals who provide accommodation for foreign tourists without a proper licence could also be legally dealt with under the Tourism Act by the enforcement unit. However, locals providing accommodation for locals do not come under the purview of the Act.
Commenting on remarks by industry experts, especially a media report by a former chairperson of the SLTDA, Mr Hewawasam said the exponential increase in the number of tour guides or any other category of workers is not possible in parallel with the developments in the tourism industry. There is an acute shortage of skilled workers due to emigration as a result of the economic crisis. However, guides are being trained at the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management in Colombo and Kandy to address possible shortages in the future.
“We will take responsibility for what we must,’’ Mr Hewawasam said. He is determined to absorb the informal tourism sector into the regulated formal sector to help improve services.
Unregulated informal entities cause quality lapses, fraud, corruption, harassment, and revenue loss due to lack of accountability and would eventually destroy the industry, he said.
“SLTDA must enforce the law, though islandwide rollout takes time,” Mr Hewawasam said.
He saw no merit in the former SLTDA chairman’s advice that SLTDA should not act against illegal guiding. Since the tourism body started the enforcement unit to curb illegal activities, all the tourism bodies have agreed to stop unlicensed activities.
He also pointed out that SLTDA research revealed that the per-day expenditure by a tourist is US$148, a verified figure, not US$171 per day, which was only hypothetical.
“Even this figure should be corrected against the exchange rate fluctuations and global impact of the pandemic, which lowered tourism expenditure globally, as per the UNWTO, the UN tourism body. He revealed that in Thailand, which recorded the highest number of tourists in the region, average tourist spending per day is below US$100. The per-day spending in the Maldives dropped to US$300 after the pandemic.
The SLTDA gave an undertaking before the Supreme Court to establish an enforcement unit to stop illegal guiding and to take appropriate action against all the unregistered and unlicensed establishments and individuals within three months on 22 July 2025.
The petitioner, the then president of the Sri Lanka Institute of National Tourist Guide Lecturers, Manoj Maddage, complained to the Supreme Court that his right to engage in the lawful occupation was violated by the respondents, including SLTDA, as the regulator failed to stop illegal unlicensed persons from carrying out the guiding of tourists.
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