Lanka in talks with Qatar for toll expressway & resorts

3 February 2012: The State of Qatar is in talks with Sri Lanka to build a toll expressway from the island's main international airport to the northwestern coastal town on Kalpitiya. Sri Lanka has signed up with Qatar Holdings, the emirate's sovereign wealth fund and its wholly owned unit Qatar Diar Real Estate Investment Company.

Qatar has proposed a large tourism development complex involving seven islets off the coast of Kalpitiya. Qatar had also looked at land in Colombo, including land in the Galle Face beachfront. Two blocks in the area has also been sold to Hong Kong based Shangri La and the second block is to be given shortly to India's ITC group.
Sri Lanka is experiencing a tourism boom after a 30-year war in 2009. In 2011 arrivals rose 30 percent to 855,000.

Source: Lankabusinessonline