Supply of Branded Hotels in Africa (by Region) — Photo by Bench Events
Flight bookings for the next six months suggest a sustained recovery — Photo by Bench Events

LONDON, United Kingdom – The hotel and tourism industry in Africa is beginning a period of sustained growth, according to the sector's leading experts gathered at the Africa Hotel Investment Forum in Addis Ababa (http://www.Africa-Conference.com).

The conference heard that inward international flights were recovering after being hit by the ebola outbreak. And the hotel sector reported significant expansion, as well as increased visitor numbers, boosted by demand from African business.

Now in its fifth year, AHIF (30 September to 1 October 2015) brought together 500-plus leading international hotel investors, local operators, ministers, government officials and industry experts from around 40 countries.

The immediate good news came from ForwardKeys, which monitors future travel patterns by analysing 14 million reservation transactions each day. Its analysis showed there was an increase of 6.4% in international arrivals in September in Sub-Saharan Africa. The upturn marked a turning point after the ebola outbreak, which had wiped out four years of strong growth.

Flight bookings for the next six months suggest a sustained recovery. The data shows arrivals on-the-book (bookings for travel in future) from October 2015 to March 2016 are now running 4% ahead, compared with the same period last year. (See graph in Multimedia content.)

For more information, contact: Anja Eckervogt, [email protected]

The growing opportunities for investment in hotels on the continent were revealed in the African Hotel Report 2015. Hotel Partners Africa identified the top ten opportunities. Nigeria heads the list with the strongest economy, but with only 34 branded hotel bedrooms per million population. This compares with 6,754 branded hotel bedrooms per million population in North America and 2,432 bedrooms per million in Europe. Ghana with 59 bedrooms and Cote d'Ivoire with 61 bedrooms also present great opportunities with very strong unmet demand. [See Multimedia content: Supply of Branded Hotels in Africa (by Region)]

For more information or a copy of the African Hotel Report 2015 please contact: David Harper, [email protected]

AHIF also heard announcements of several new hotel development projects in Africa:

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide plans to grow its portfolio by more than 50% in the next five years.
[email protected]

Movenpick will open three hotels in Kenya, Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire over the next four years.
[email protected]

Carlson Rezidor will welcome guests to the first Radisson Blue Residence in Nairobi in late 2016.
[email protected]

Hilton Worldwide has announced the Awassa Resort and Spa which is expected to open in 2020 in Addis Ababa.
[email protected]

Marriott has already opened Africa's first Marriott Executive Apartments in Addis Ababa.
[email protected]

Best Western used the conference to showcase its re-branding.
[email protected]

The 2015 African Hotel Valuation Index, released at the conference by HVS, revealed that the African hotel sector was becoming less reliant on foreign visitors with increased demand from local businesses. The Index showed African hotel brands such as Azalai, City Lodge and Protea were trading well, with a number of hotel investors showing faith in the continent.

You can download a copy of 2015 African Hotel Valuation Index by Tim Smith and Sophie Perret here: http://www.apo.af/qnaQVX.

The conference also heard the latest thought leadership research paper from JLL. It found the growth drivers for the hotel sector in Africa included:

  • improved fiscal management
    -favourable demographics (a population of 1.1billion)
    -rapid urbanisation
    -growing middle class
    -rich commodity and energy resources
    -considerable infrastructure investment
    -increased tourism.

To download the report, click here: http://www.apo.af/gYuFB4.

In another special market report, hotel consultants Horwath HTL said they expected a surge in projects in Cameroon ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations which will be held there in 2019.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Bench Events.

View multimedia content

For further information, including interviews, please contact Anja Eckervogt, [email protected] or David Tarsh, [email protected] on +44 7770 816 070.

About The Bench

The Benchhas established a legacy for delivering world-leading investment forums and conferences in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. The key principle behind these platforms has remained "dealmaking'. Transforming the way business connect, Bench has developed a reputation for creating innovative and high-impact meeting spaces for the industry.

For over two decades - government leaders, tourism ministries, global travel & tourism associations, the world's most influential hospitality brands, hotel owners & investors, renowned restaurant groups, airlines & aviation authorities, destination developers, asset managers, financial groups and consultants – have been participating in The Bench's events for their respective objectives. These include AHIC, AHIF, FHS, AHF, IDEEA, AviaDev and RENEW –where industry players showcase their brands, position themselves as thought leaders or innovators, and connect with the right opportunities and knowledge.

Learn more on thebench.com

About FHS World

Dates: 30 September – 2 October 2024

Location: Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE

Sponsors:

Jumeirah as Host Sponsor; Italia Hospitality, Maldives Fund Management Corporation, Moroccan Agency for Tourism Development-SMIT and Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority as Country Pavilion Sponsors; Aseer Development Authority, Hilton, NEOM, New Murabba, Radisson Hotel Group and Taiba Investments as Platinum sponsors; Accor, Club Med, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, Millennium Hotels and Resorts, Minor Hotels, Red Sea Global and Rotana Hotels and Resorts as Emerald Sponsors; Action Hotels, Adyen, Aleph Hospitality, ARC International Design Consultants, Ark People Solutions, AtkinsRealis, Barriere Group, CBRE, Colliers, Compass Project Consulting, Dusit International, Elaf Group, Emaar Hospitality Group, Enterprise Greece, HVS, Hyatt, IHCL, JLL, JT+Partners, Kearney, Knight Frank, LEVA Hotels, Livit Consulting & Design, Louvre Hotels Group, Prologic First, PwC, Quo, Rikas Hospitality Group, roboSculptor, Rove Hotels, Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), Sommet Education, The Ascott Limited, TUI Hotels & Resorts, United Hospitality Management, Unox and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts as Gold Sponsors; Aldar, Conran Business Group, COREcruitment, EHL, H World International, Shaza Hotels, STR, Time Hotels and Valor Hospitality Partners as Silver Sponsors; SOHO Hospitality as Gold Sponsor - Restaurant Invest; Forsite Creative as Data Partner - Restaurant Invest; Lokalee as Start-up Exhibitor; Lock Stock & Barrel as After Party Host; BE WTR as Water Station Sponsor; Considerate Group, HAMA, Sustainable Hospitality Challenge, The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, The Emirates Culinary Guild, UAE Restaurants Group, UN Tourism and World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance as Supporters.

Anja Eckervogt
Tarsh Consulting
+44 (0) 3301222648
The Bench