Are there touts and con artists in Sri Lanka?
Touts are quite common in most major towns and all tourist sites. You will find that most of the time they are trying to get you to ride in their trishaw, book you into a guest house of their choice or take you to a shop or eatery where they will get a commission for bringing a guest. They can generally be gotten ride of with a firm, but polite refusal. One other thing to keep in mind, sometimes touts may try to discourage you from visiting a certain place or staying at a certain hotel etc. by claiming that it is closed for renovations or not of good quality or standard. They may have an ulterior motive of doing this in order to promote a competitor from whom they get a commission. In such instances it is better to check out the place yourself rather than taking their word for it.