Starting in October, Sri Lanka will provide 30-day tourist visas to citizens of 35 countries free of charge.
It includes major source markets like the US, UK and France.
It is a six-month trial program with an aim of boosting visitor numbers.
Visas currently cost $50.
The free visa policy is expected to stimulate tourism numbers as it includes the busy season from December to mid-April.
So far this year, Sri Lanka has welcomed about 1.3 million tourists and tourism spending surpassed $1.5 billion for the first six months of 2024.
This represents a 78% year-on-year increase.
The country hopes the new free visa policy will attract around 2.5 million tourist visits by the year-end.
According to data from the Sri Lanka Development Authority, India and the UK are the top two source markets for tourism.
Cabinet spokesman Bandula Gunawardana said: “The aim of the government is to transform Sri Lanka into a free visa country, much like Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam to tap into the benefits of a rapidly growing tourism industry.”
