World Heritage hub
Sigiriya, the rock
The resource is the story and the dry-zone reservoirs. The hub is a making-house at the gate where the mask carvers, the potters and the fresco painters work in view, and the evening programme that turns the day visit into two nights.
Why a hub
The country funnels its visitors through a handful of small heritage cores, most of them in the Cultural Triangle. That funnel is the problem when the cores are turnstiles. It is the answer when each core becomes a hub: the place where the region's own resource is grown, made, shown and sold, with a making-house at the gate where the visitor watches the work and buys it from the hands that did it. Sri Lanka House in Colombo is the model; these are the regional editions. A hub is also the one place in its region where the rules are visibly kept: clean, priced, and honest, with a complaints line that answers. Every one of the five hundred belongs to at least one hub.
Sri Lanka House in Colombo, the model every hub is a regional edition of
The clusters this hub is built from
2
Sell the making, not the object
The craft cannot be copied and the object can. In Europe people queue to watch glass being blown and then buy the glass.
25 ideas, 21 to 45
3
Souvenirs that are actually from here
The Zermatt water bottle. Sigiriya has not got a stone with its own name on it.
25 ideas, 46 to 70
4
The experience economy
An app that tells people what is happening tonight converts a day visit into a 2-night stay.
30 ideas, 71 to 100
1
Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
If Sri Lanka earned what the Maldives earns per visitor, the visitors it already has would bring in $2.4 billion a year...
20 ideas, 1 to 20100 ideas that belong here
Every idea in the hub's clusters, plus any idea elsewhere in the list that names this place.
- 1Boutique eco-lodges with heritage viewsCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 2Luxury treehouse stays in forest marginsCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 3Glamping with proper service, at sites with noneCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 4Heritage homestays in family housesCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 5Floating cabanas on the ancient reservoirsCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 6Forest holiday villages on the Center Parcs model: lodges among the trees, a covered pool, bikes and a lake, so a family stays a week, not a nightCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 7Restored colonial estates as private villasCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 8Budget lodging built to the same standard of welcome as the expensive tierCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 9Villa management services for absentee ownersCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 10Private pool and garden maintenance businesses serving the aboveCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 11Tea-estate bungalow stays with the working factory as the attraction, not the view aloneCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 12Lighthouse and railway-station conversions on the coast and in the hillsCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 13Farm stays where the guest works a morning in the paddy or the spice gardenCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 14A 7-night circuit product sold as one booking: hills, ancient cities, coast, with transfersCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 15Long-stay monthly rates for remote workers, with desks, power backup and fibre guaranteedCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 16Family-suite lodges near the parks, built for three generations travelling togetherCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 17Surf lodges at Arugam Bay and Weligama run to the standard of Bali, with lessons and board hireCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 18Dark-sky stays in the dry zone, with a telescope and a guide who knows the southern skyCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 19Wedding-week villas: the ceremony, the guests and the honeymoon in one placeCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 20A guesthouse rating scheme run by the guesthouses themselves, with published inspectionsCluster 1: Stay longer (the $2.4 billion gap)
- 21Half-day cooking courses: two curries and riceCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 22Full-day courses: a five-course Sri Lankan menuCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 23Multi-day culinary residenciesCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 24Batik workshops where you take home what you madeCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 25Pottery workshops, your own signature on the baseCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 26Handloom weaving demonstrations and short coursesCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 27Mask carving workshopsCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 28Gem cutting demonstrations with certified purchaseCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 29Jewellery-making classesCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 30Tea blending workshops, and your own blend packed to take awayCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 31Cinnamon peeling demonstrations on working smallholdingsCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 32Coconut processing demonstrationsCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 33Spice blending, with a labelled jar of your own mixCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 34Clay-pot cooking classesCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 35Fresco and mural painting workshops with local artistsCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 36Traditional hair-oil and herbal preparation classesCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 37Wood carving classesCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 38Lacquerware workshopsCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 39Village kitchen lunches, cooked with the familyCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 40Grandmother's Kitchen: one dish, one district, one storyCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 41Brass and bronze casting in the Kandyan tradition, watched from pour to polishCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 42Dumbara mat weaving taught by the families who still do itCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 43Palm-leaf manuscript writing with a stylus, your name on an ola leaf to take homeCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 44Drum-making and a drumming lesson in one afternoonCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 45Toddy tapping at dawn, watched from the ground, with breakfast afterCluster 2: Sell the making, not the object
- 46Carved stone miniatures of heritage sitesCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 47Salt and pepper sets in the shape of the rockCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 48Fresco print reproductions, properly licensedCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 49Coconut shell and husk craft: bowls, spoons, lamps, jewellery, buttonsCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 50Handmade paper and stationeryCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 51Limited-edition scarves using site artworkCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 52Custom wood carvings of the Lion Paw and other motifsCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 53Clay: terracotta homeware, cooking pots and lamps, thrown in front of the buyerCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 54Handmade leather goodsCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 55Candles, incense and resin products in local wax and fragrance, made in view of the customerCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 56Eco-friendly fashion in organic cottonCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 57Children's toys in wood and clothCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 58Antique and reproduction map shopsCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 59Key rings, magnets and small items: done well, not importedCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 60Luxury spice boxes: cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, vanillaCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 61Premium tea packaging and gift tins, sold anywhere, not only in KandyCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 62A licensed Sigiriya mark, so that every bottle, tin and cap sold at the rock carries itCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 63Graphite pencils and artists' sets made from Sri Lankan vein graphite, the purest on earthCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 64Natural stones: a small Ceylon sapphire, garnet or moonstone in a sealed card with its laboratory report, at a price a tourist will payCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 65Handloom sarongs and shirts in the heritage colours of each districtCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 66Elephant-dung paper, which exists, branded properly and sold at every park gateCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 67The tea-factory tin: a small quantity from the estate you visited, with the date you were thereCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 68Postcards and prints by living Sri Lankan artists, sold with the artist's name and storyCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 69Batik in contemporary design, not only the tourist paletteCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 70A children's picture book of Sigiriya, Kandy or Galle in five languages, sold at the siteCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 71Evening cultural performances on a fixed nightly scheduleCluster 4: The experience economy
- 72Moonlit storytelling: the legends, the kings, the historiesCluster 4: The experience economy
- 73Royal feast dinners recreating historical menusCluster 4: The experience economy
- 74Costume and photography experiencesCluster 4: The experience economy
- 75Archaeology-themed treasure hunts for childrenCluster 4: The experience economy
- 76Private guided tours led by historians and archaeologistsCluster 4: The experience economy
- 77Sunrise and sunset access toursCluster 4: The experience economy
- 78Photographers for hire at ticket offices, by the hourCluster 4: The experience economy
- 79Drone photography as a premium packageCluster 4: The experience economy
- 80Augmented reality tours of heritage sitesCluster 4: The experience economy
- 81Hot air balloon ridesCluster 4: The experience economy
- 82Horse and carriage village toursCluster 4: The experience economy
- 83Rock climbing instructionCluster 4: The experience economy
- 84Cycling tours through villagesCluster 4: The experience economy
- 85Birdwatching with expert guidesCluster 4: The experience economy
- 86Night safarisCluster 4: The experience economy
- 87Whale watching, properly regulatedCluster 4: The experience economy
- 88Outdoor cinema eveningsCluster 4: The experience economy
- 89Escape rooms and puzzle experiences built on local historyCluster 4: The experience economy
- 90Annual arts festivals, district by districtCluster 4: The experience economy
- 91The Kandy Esala Perahera sold as a week, with seats, explanation and the temple's protocol respectedCluster 4: The experience economy
- 92A "what's on tonight" service for each tourist town, printed and online, updated dailyCluster 4: The experience economy
- 93Train-journey packages on the hill line with a guide, a meal and a stop that is not EllaCluster 4: The experience economy
- 94Leopard-tracking days at Yala and Wilpattu with a limit on vehicles and a premium priceCluster 4: The experience economy
- 95Kayaking and paddle-boarding on the lagoons, with a naturalistCluster 4: The experience economy
- 96Cookery competitions for visitors, judged by a village panel, with the prize being dinnerCluster 4: The experience economy
- 97Cricket-match packages: a ticket, a seat with a local who explains it, and the after-partyCluster 4: The experience economy
- 98Stargazing nights at Sigiriya and the reservoirs with astronomers from the universitiesCluster 4: The experience economy
- 99Street-food walks in Colombo, Jaffna and Galle with a guide who knows every stall's historyCluster 4: The experience economy
- 100A festival calendar for the whole island published a year ahead, so a visitor can plan around itCluster 4: The experience economy