Sigiriya Leads the Way in Sustainable Tourism
At a time when tourism often tests the limits of heritage and habitat, Sigiriya offers a counter-argument: that conservation and commerce need not be adversaries.
Rising dramatically from Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle, the fifth-century rock fortress—inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site—has quietly become a case study in how to protect a national asset while funding its own preservation.
A Steady Stream, Not a Stampede
Sigiriya’s visitor management is deliberate. Entry is ticketed, flows are regulated, and access to sensitive areas —frescoes, mirror wall, summit pathways—is controlled. The result is not mass tourism but managed tourism: a steady stream of visitors, not a destructive surge.
That discipline matters. The site’s revenues—generated primarily through entrance fees—are p...
