WHY NOT SRI LANKA? සිංහල

For leaders and institutions

Ideas to take to your people

For a ministry, a provincial or town council, a chamber of commerce, a school, a university or a temple. The book takes no side in politics. It sets out what other countries did with the same problems, and 500 businesses that can start in every region.

Seven mechanisms from other countries

Chapter Eleven: pieces of machinery, from other places, that solve problems Sri Lanka has right now. Six worked. One did not.

  1. New ZealandThe single desk, for when producers undercut each other
  2. DenmarkBinding contracts, for when co-operatives fail
  3. NorwayRules written before the money arrives
  4. Costa RicaKeep the capability, not the tenant
  5. VeniceThe original converter, and how it switched itself off
  6. JapanBorrow the method, keep the self
  7. EthiopiaOne mechanism that did not work

Chapter Eleven in the book · Chapter Fourteen: the list

Twelve countries, one island

A fridge by a Swiss country road with its door open: cheese, milk and eggs inside and a cash box on the post beside it

Switzerland

In parts of rural Switzerland, a farm will put a small refrigerator at the edge of the property, by the road. There is nobody there. There is no camera.

Ch. Six
Small electric taxis in the main street of Zermatt, with visitors and their suitcases

Zermatt

You cannot drive into Zermatt. And the taxis themselves are worth a paragraph, because they were not a policy. They were a family.

Ch. Five
Sugar cane fields in Mauritius with workers at the harvest and green volcanic mountains behind

Mauritius

An economist who went on to win the Nobel Prize studied it, and wrote that it would probably fail. It reached high income in 2020.

Ch. Ten
A fjord harbour in Norway with a supply ship at the quay and engineers walking past

Norway

A cold northern country that worked out the rules for its oil before the oil money arrived, which turns out to be the entire trick.

Ch. Eleven
A Danish dairy farm in summer, cows on flat green fields and an old brick creamery

Denmark

A nation of dairy farmers who became wealthy because somebody in the 1880s thought carefully about who ought to own the creamery.

Ch. Eleven
Pickers at work under the vines of a kiwifruit orchard in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand grows kiwifruit. So do Italy, Chile, Greece and a dozen other countries. New Zealand earns something else, and the reason is a law.

Ch. Eleven
A busy Dublin street in the morning, people walking to work past Georgian houses

Ireland

Within a decade the country that had exported its young for a century was gaining people again.

Ch. Fourteen
An inspector checking finished cups one by one in a small Japanese pottery workshop

Japan

In 1950 "Made in Japan" meant cheap and shoddy. Within a generation Japanese goods had a new name abroad, built with tools that cost almost nothing.

Ch. Eleven
Gantry cranes over a container ship in the port of Singapore, the city beyond

Singapore

The country Sri Lankans reach for as the model never copied a model.

Ch. Eleven
A cargo boat unloading crates on a quiet working canal in Venice

Venice

A city built on mudflats, with no farms, no fresh water and no minerals, became the richest place in Europe. Then the people who had got rich on it closed the door.

Ch. Eleven
Fishing boats in a south Indian port with a large container ship beyond

India

An hour from Colombo by air there is a country of 1.46 billion people.

Ch. Twelve
Students walking across a lawn between red brick university buildings in England

Britain

Britain is not the cautionary tale people expect. It is rich. The courts still work. That is exactly why it belongs in this book.

Ch. Nine

The ten hubs, one for each region

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...

Sigiriya rock rising from misty forest at dawn, seen from a distance, dark moody sky with a gold light on the rock's face

World Heritage

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...

100 ideas
The Dambulla cave temple in Sri Lanka at dusk: a long whitewashed colonnaded front with arched doorways and red clay-tiled roofs, built under the overhang of a huge dark granite rock, oil lamps glowing in the doorways, no people. Real Sri Lankan Buddhist architecture, NOT Indian or Petra-style carved rock facades

World Heritage

Dambulla, the caves

The resource is the painted temples and the vegetable economy of the dry zone around them. The hub is the clay and the...

81 ideas
A vast white stupa at dusk reflected in still water, a few oil lamps glowing, dark blue sky

World Heritage

Anuradhapura and Mihintale, the sacred city

The resource is 2,300 years of Buddhism, still practised. The hub is the pilgrim centre, the Sil programme and the...

55 ideas
The ancient Vatadage of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, at golden hour: a round raised stone terrace with concentric rings of slender weathered grey stone pillars, a carved semicircular moonstone at the foot of the steps, old brick walls, dry-zone trees, long shadows, no people. Sri Lankan ruins, NOT Greek or Roman columns, NO cypress trees

World Heritage

Polonnaruwa, the medieval capital

The resource is rice and the great reservoirs that grew it. The hub is the heritage-rice brand, the floating cabanas on...

75 ideas
Kandy Lake in Sri Lanka at dusk with the Temple of the Tooth on its shore: a white two-storey Kandyan building with an octagonal pavilion and red clay-tiled roofs, the low white wave-patterned wall along the lake edge, misty green hills behind, warm lamps reflected in the still water. Kandyan architecture, NOT Chinese or Japanese pagodas

World Heritage

Kandy, the Temple of the Tooth

The resource is tea, brass, drums and the Perahera. The hub is the crafts and tea showcase on the lake, with the...

108 ideas
A white lighthouse on old fort ramparts at golden hour, palms and the sea, dark warm sky

World Heritage

Galle, the Fort

The resource is the cinnamon of the south-west, the sea, and the gems of Ratnapura a few hours inland. The hub is the...

80 ideas
Tea hills in soft mist at dawn with a conical mountain peak behind, gold light breaking through

World Heritage

The Central Highlands: Horton Plains, Adam's Peak, the Knuckles

The resource is the tea estates and the cool climate. The hub is the tea and wellness town at Nuwara Eliya, the estate...

84 ideas
Rainforest canopy in mist with a single shaft of gold light, dark green, no people

World Heritage

Sinharaja, the rainforest

The resource is the biodiversity, and the spice gardens at its edge. The hub is the research station that hosts the...

66 ideas
Palmyra palms against a dusk sky beside a white colonial library building with a dome, warm light in its windows

And two more

Jaffna and the north

Jaffna and the north, where the resource is the palmyrah, the lagoons, the mango and the savings of families abroad...

91 ideas
Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, at dusk seen from Swami Rock: a deep blue natural harbour below a steep dark cliff, a South Indian style Hindu temple tower (gopuram) with warm lights on the headland, small fishing boats with lanterns on the water below. NOT a Greek or Mediterranean temple

And two more

Trincomalee and the east

Trincomalee and the east, where the resource is the finest natural harbour in the Bay of Bengal, and the hub is the...

72 ideas

Twenty-eight clusters, each with its mechanism

An old brass hotel room key on a leather tag resting on a folded linen map, beside a small cup of tea, on dark teak

1

Stay longer, spend more (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 20
A craftsman's hands shaping a clay pot on a wheel, lit by one lamp, clay dust in the light

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
A hand-carved wooden Sri Lankan dance mask, half painted in red and gold, on a workbench with brushes and a small pot of gold paint

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
A wooden boat with a single lantern on a still dark lagoon at dusk, mangroves behind, the lantern's gold reflected in the water

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
Brass bowls of green herbs, a glass of golden oil and a bundle of dried leaves on dark stone, a wisp of steam in the light

5

Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell

Ayurveda is a system of medicine the world already recognises and seeks out. The demand is there; what Sri Lanka needs...

20 ideas, 101 to 120
A black clay cooking pot with a rich curry, surrounded by small brass dishes of whole spices on dark slate, one soft light

6

Food and drink as export, not just hospitality

Dilmah says it earns over 3 times the national average export price for tea, because it does its own blending, branding...

30 ideas, 121 to 150
An antique brass theodolite and a rolled drawing on a dark wooden table, a small brass lamp beside them

7

The infrastructure that makes the rest possible

The tiny business pathway. A rural woman with an exceptional product should not need photography, English copy...

25 ideas, 151 to 175
A coconut cut open, a glass bottle of clear coconut oil with a gold cap, a coil of coir rope and a coconut-shell cup on black

8

The coconut, which deserves its own list

The whole-nut principle. Sri Lanka's coconut exports grew by more than 40% in 2025, faster than any other major export...

15 ideas, 176 to 190
A single lit clay oil lamp and one white lotus flower on dark stone, the flame the only light

9

The offering nobody else can make

What cannot be copied. Every competitor can build a beach hotel. No competitor can offer a Buddhist tradition more than...

10 ideas, 191 to 200
A white porcelain cup of golden tea on a saucer, loose black tea leaves and a small woven plucking basket on dark teak

10

Tea, beyond the auction

The Colombo auction sells tea by the lot to a buyer who blends it under his own name. Every step after the auction is...

20 ideas, 201 to 220
A small bundle of TRUE CEYLON CINNAMON quills tied with twine: long, thin (about a finger wide), PALE golden tan, each quill made of many paper-thin layers rolled inside each other like a fine cigar, with soft crumbly ends; NOT thick dark single-layer cassia sticks. Beside it a few loose broken quill pieces and one fresh green cinnamon leaf, on dark wood

11

Cinnamon and the spice garden

The imitation out-earns the original. Vietnam earns more from cassia than Sri Lanka does from true cinnamon by selling...

15 ideas, 221 to 235
A jeweller's brass loupe, a rough blue sapphire and a cut blue sapphire on black velvet, one soft light

12

The gem chain, from Ratnapura to the certificate

The sapphire is mined here and cut here, and its value is certified in Basel or Lucerne and turned into money in...

15 ideas, 236 to 250
The carved wooden prow of a traditional fishing boat with a hanging lantern, on dark calm water at dusk

13

The sea

An ocean 8 times the size of the land, and a fishing fleet that sells its catch on the beach. The Maldives built a...

20 ideas, 251 to 270
A wooden crate of ripe mangoes and a sack of rice beside an antique brass balance scale on dark wood

14

Farm to shelf

The smallholder sells raw to a collector at the gate and the collector sells to a packer who puts his own name on it....

25 ideas, 271 to 295
An open laptop glowing softly (abstract light on the screen, no text) on a teak desk, a cup of tea beside it, a window with palm shadows behind

15

Software, services and the remote desk

The proof exists in Malabe. What is missing is a thousand small versions of it.

25 ideas, 296 to 320
A stack of exam papers tied with a ribbon, a fountain pen and a pair of round spectacles on dark wood, one lamp

16

Education and the exam funnel

177,000 qualify every year and 45,000 get a state university place. The other 130,000 are a market only partly served...

20 ideas, 321 to 340
A stethoscope coiled on a dark table beside an old telephone and a cup of tea, warm lamplight

17

Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad

Sri Lankans abroad have parents at home whom they cannot look after from Melbourne. They will pay, and the money stays.

20 ideas, 341 to 360
A plain navy passport with no emblem and a blank boarding card lying on an old leather suitcase, one soft light

18

Sri Lankans abroad, both directions

1.5 million people abroad who know how rich countries work, and who send home money and little else.

20 ideas, 361 to 380
An old film reel, a stack of sepia photographs in gold corner mounts and a magnifying glass on dark wood

19

Heritage, archives and film

8 World Heritage Sites and 2,300 years of records, and the country's story is told to the world by other people.

15 ideas, 381 to 395
A dressmaker's form with a half-finished batik garment in indigo and gold, a spool of gold thread and scissors on a dark table

20

Design, fashion and the apparel spillover

Sri Lankans make the world's underwear to the world's standard, and the country has no fashion brand of its own that...

15 ideas, 396 to 410
A small solar lamp glowing inside a glass jar, a brass water tap and a clay water pot on dark stone

21

Energy, water and waste at small scale

The sun shines on every roof and the island imports its fuel.

15 ideas, 411 to 425
A three-wheeler tuk-tuk in deep navy with gold trim, photographed on black like a product, one soft light

22

Transport and logistics at village scale

The village cannot get a box to the container port. The gap is small firms, not big ones.

10 ideas, 426 to 435
A ledger book, a ring of keys, a small sewing tin and a cup of tea on a dark table by a window, morning light

23

The women who are not working

The single largest unused asset in the country is sitting at home. Much of what keeps it there (childcare, safe...

15 ideas, 436 to 450
A brass seal stamp, a stick of red wax and a blank folded document with a wax seal on dark wood

24

Proof and trust, as a business

The one thing. Proof that the rules hold can be made by private people, one published record at a time.

15 ideas, 451 to 465
A red leather cricket ball and a willow bat on black velvet, one soft light catching the seam

25

Sport and the cricket economy

The country's best-known export is cricket, and little of the business around it is built at home.

10 ideas, 466 to 475
An old hand-drawn map of the island of Sri Lanka on aged paper with small brass pins in the cities, no lettering on the map, dark wood around

26

The cities, one idea each

Every city has one thing it could be known for, and most are not yet known for it.

10 ideas, 476 to 485
A heap of fruit by the road turned into an export: a wooden crate of ripe mangoes, graded and packed in rows with a small plain paper label tied to the crate, beside it a mangosteen cut open showing its white segments and a few rambutans, on dark wood in warm late-afternoon light, a tropical roadside out of focus behind

27

The fruit nobody grades

Fruit the world wants, sold in a heap by the road. Grading, a name and a cold box make the heap an export and the...

10 ideas, 486 to 495
The open front door of an old house, warm light spilling out onto a veranda, an old leather suitcase on the threshold, dusk

28

Coming home

The first one through pays the whole price, and everyone after walks through an open door. These are the doors.

5 ideas, 496 to 500

To talk about the book with your organisation

hello@whynotsrilanka.com

Three hardcover copies of Why Not Sri Lanka? in a stack

The book behind the list

Each idea comes from the argument of the book: what Sri Lanka already has, why it leaves, and what other countries did about the same problem.

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