Visiting Sri Lanka – known as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean” for its natural beauty, cultural treasures and stunning food scene – is set to get easier and cheaper for Brits under new visa rules.

The government announced it was making visas for UK tourists free starting from October in a bid to boost the country’s tourism sector.

The six-month pilot programme will run from October 1 until April 1, 2025, with free 30-day visas handed out to tourists on arrival.

Cabinet spokesman and Transport Minister 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.”

The scheme also covers tourists from 34 other countries, including India, China, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Australia, Denmark, Poland, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Nepal, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, and France.

Sri Lanka is home to 22 million people and is famed for its beaches, ancient temples and delicious local cuisine however its tourist numbers have suffered in the wake of covid and a financial crisis in 2022 that saw widespread protest.

However tourism has started to bounce back last year with nearly two million arrivals by mid-August – the UK is the second largest source of tourists, coming second to India, with 123,992 British visitors, according to data from the Sri Lanka Development Authority.

Google searches for “travel to Sri Lanka” have also increased 566% in the past month since the country announced it’s looking to trial free UK tourist visas from October, according to data from holiday providers, Travel Republic.

Gemma Brown, Head of Product at Travel Republic said: “Sri Lanka’s new free visa programme represents a significant change in the country’s tourism policy, making it more accessible and affordable for UK travellers to visit.

“Offering a significant travel saving by waiving the standard fee, and also simplifying the application process, with the visa being granted on arrival, will give British travellers more flexibility and allow for easier travel planning.

She added the changes were: “expected to make Sri Lanka a more desirable travel destination for UK tourists, which can already be seen with an uplift in Google searches.”

While the scheme is set to eliminate the usual $50 (£38) visa fee, this trial period to increase tourism is said to only be for six months, meaning Brits will have until April 2025 to benefit from the visa-free programme before it is re-evaluated and potentially axed.