Sri Lankan hoteliers have launched projects worth 5 billion U.S. dollars to expand the tourism industry with the end of the island's three-decade-old civil war, a senior tourism official said on Monday. Asheyra Mendis, media coordinator of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau told reporters that several hotel giants are carrying out expansion, refurbishment and development plans in the wake of increased demand for hotel rooms with the end of the island's civil war. 'All this will help to accommodate the exponential increase in tourist arrivals expected,' she said, adding that the projected inbound tourism figures are at 2.5 million by 2016. Sri Lanka's civil war between the government troops and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) ended in May 2009 with the defeat of the LTTE, which had been fighting for an independent Tamil homeland in the north and east since the 1980s. Several countries have relaxed their travel advisories to Sri Lanka. Mendis said tourist arrivals for the first half of 2010 registered a 48.4 percent increase compared to the same period in 2009. Citing some examples for new investments, Mendis said a major hotel group, John Keells Holdings (JKH) has invested 34.5 million U.S. dollars to expand its room capacity in Beruwala, about 50 km south of the capital Colombo. Development projects of another hotel group, Amaya Resorts and Spas will be carried at 10 million U.S. dollars in its first stage. 'Another major hotel group, Jetwing is all set to spend 7.9 million dollars for the development of their hotel chain,' Mendis said. 