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Worth knowing
The scripts, and how to leave the stage
Sri Lanka is among the safer countries in Asia to travel. What visitors meet is petty overcharging, and each kind follows a script. Learn the lines and it stops working.
01
Tuk-tuk overcharging
Nobody is out to ruin your holiday. A few drivers would simply like you to pay triple, and they have three well-worn ways of asking.
02Commission stops
The detour is always brief, always on the way, and always ends beside a till.
03The gem investment pitch
Sapphires made this island famous long before tourism did. That history is the hook.
04Train ticket resale
The seats vanish in minutes, then reappear on the pavement at eight times the price.
05ETA copycat websites
The most expensive part of a Sri Lankan visa is clicking the wrong link.
Need help on the ground? The Sri Lanka Tourism hotline is 1912.