Reviving the thread with new developments...

It is now possible to enter Sri Lanka on a tourist visa but everything I read online ties into a hotel stay, etc. What does the process on arrival actually look like at the airport? Do you clear immigration and are released onward to meet your transportation to the hotel, or is there some sort of escort involved? What I'm getting at is whether its possible to just head over to the check-in area for the onward flight skipping the entire hotel experience?