[yandie]

No that’s not how tourist visa works. Most tourist visas forbid any kind of business activities done in the target country with the exception of business meetings. I’ve had a lot of tourist visas and I’ve been told this rule by multiple lawyers.

[throwaway290]

The spirit of the law is protectionism, to avoid people working unregulated and taking jobs away from locals, like with customs the spirit is to prevent fraudsters from skipping import tax and hurt legitimate businesses.

Probably every one who travels (even you) broke the letter but not the spirit of both multiple times. Check work email? Illegal. Did not declare a purchase? Illegal. Even if they want to comply and declare eligible personal purchase via red corridor they would be waved through because they are not the target.

Otherwise you can jail every writer or artist who dared to practice their craft without a work visa and who sold/published later.

[ghaff]

The details depend on the country of course but in the real world people traveling to a country for events and business meetings do all sorts of other routine business activities back home while they're in the country. Which could include writing of various sorts.