“We have had discussions with community leaders of the villages and what they expect from this development,” said a senior official.

“These villages have traditional values and they are historically famous for woodcarving, weaving and brassware,” Economic Development Ministry Tourism Division Director, Anura Ranasinghe said.

Under this project, six villages - Uthuwana and Ihalakotte in the Kegalle District famous for Uthuwankanda, Puwakpitiya in the Matale District famous for Sera Ella will be developed. Nattarampotha in the Kandy District famous for brassware and Magalthota in the Galle District and Kapparathota in the Matale District will also be developed.

We have already done some awareness programmes for tour guides. We expect the number of tourists to grow as this project progresses with local tourists visiting these villages. The Ministry will complete several infrastructure facilities for the project, the Division Director said.

Technical and training facilities will be provided to craftsman in these villages. We expect to promote market driven products and not products that are manufactured without having a good knowledge about the market.

The project will present a new experience to tourists who can witness the manufacturing process of a product while enjoying the beauty of the area, Mr. Ranasinghe further said.