The domain Ahangama.com has sold for $2,200 through the Afternic marketplace, representing the second Sri Lankan geographic domain sale this year for an investor who’s never actually visited the island nation.
Ken Lin, the seller, disclosed the transaction on social media, noting he previously sold SriLankaETA.com for $5,000 back in September. Lin also owns other Sri Lankan geo domains including Sigiriya.com, Negombo.com, and Dambulla.com—all tied to popular tourist destinations and cities across the country.
The Geographic Arbitrage Strategy
Lin’s portfolio strategy highlights an interesting arbitrage opportunity in international geographic domains. Sri Lanka attracts over 1.5 million tourists annually, with coastal towns like Ahangama becoming increasingly popular among surfers, digital nomads, and wellness tourism operators.
Ahangama, located on Sri Lanka’s southern coast, is known for surf breaks, boutique hotels, and yoga retreats. The exact-match .com domain has clear commercial value for hospitality ventures, real estate development, or tourism aggregation sites targeting the destination.
The investor’s admission that he’s “never been to Sri Lanka” underscores that successful geographic domain investing doesn’t require personal knowledge of locations—just research into tourism trends, development patterns, and search demand.
Comparing the Two Sales
The SriLankaETA.com sale at $5,000 versus Ahangama.com at $2,200 reflects different value drivers. The ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) domain captured commercial intent around visa processing—a service every visitor needs. That utility commands premium pricing.
Ahangama.com, while valuable, serves a specific destination rather than broad national service. The $2,200 price is fair market value for a second-tier Sri Lankan tourism destination with established international visitor traffic but limited scale compared to major cities like Colombo or cultural landmarks like Sigiriya.
The Broader Sri Lankan Geo Portfolio
Lin’s remaining holdings—Sigiriya.com, Negombo.com, and Dambulla.com—represent stronger tourism assets than Ahangama. Sigiriya is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the country’s most iconic tourist attraction. Negombo serves as the gateway city near Colombo’s international airport. Dambulla is another UNESCO site with ancient cave temples.
These domains likely command higher valuations than Ahangama given their prominence in Sri Lankan tourism infrastructure. The joke about Colombo.com “not being mine” acknowledges that premium city domains in the country were registered decades ago.
International Geo Domain Opportunities
The Sri Lanka sales illustrate that international geographic domains remain undervalued compared to U.S. equivalents. American lake and beach towns command $20,000-$50,000 for exact-match .com domains. Sri Lankan destinations with comparable tourism traffic sell for 10-20% of those prices.
The arbitrage exists because most domain investors focus on familiar U.S. geography while overlooking international tourism markets with strong growth trajectories and English-language search demand.
Buyer Profile
At $2,200, the buyer is likely a local hospitality operator, real estate developer, or regional tourism company rather than international investor. The domain provides foundational online presence for businesses targeting Ahangama’s growing surf and wellness tourism market.
The Ironic Ending
Lin’s comment about “maybe it’s time I actually sign up for the ETA and visit the country one day” perfectly captures the absurdity of successful international geo investing—profiting from places you’ve never seen by understanding tourism economics and search behavior better than locals do.
Transaction Details:
- Domain: Ahangama.com
- Sale Price: $2,200
- Platform: Afternic
