Thailand-based Onyx Hospitality Group has broken ground on its third project in Sri Lanka – the 172-bedroom Amari Galle.

The hospitality’s group’s hotel brand OZO already features on the island, in the form of Ozo Colombo and OZO Kandy – the latter of which will open in April this year.

Owned by Sino Lanka Hotels Galle, Amari Galle will be managed by Onyx under the full-service Amari brand and will offer guests a swimming pool, gym Breeze spa, banqueting facilities and two restaurants.

Bob Kundanmal, owner of Sino Lanka Hotels Galle, said the hotel will target business and leisure travelers as the country’s tourism industry takes off. “Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is growing rapidly, with 2.5m tourists expected to arrive by 2016," he said. "This property, along with the other two OZOs in Colombo and Kandy, will help to meet the projected demand for new hotel rooms around the island and contribute to Sri Lanka’s continued economic growth.”

There are a further eight Amari projects in the pipeline in China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Maldives.

Earlier this month, Onyx announced plans to operate at least 10 properties in India by 2022 – further demonstrating the company’s aggressive expansion strategy.