The interest in the potential of the African continent as a whole is rising month on month, and according to new figures from the annual W Hospitality Group Hotel Chain Development Pipeline Survey, the number of planned hotel rooms in Africa has soared to 64,000 in 365 hotels, up almost 30% on the previous year.
North Africa, according to this report, achieved a 7.5% pipeline increase this year, which was overshadowed by strong growth in sub-Saharan Africa, which is up 42.1% on 2015. In 2011, the number of pipeline rooms in the five countries of North Africa was about 25% higher than that in sub-Saharan Africa. Today, it is less than half.
The report was released ahead of the African Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF), which is set to take place in Lomé, Togo on June 21-22 2016, at the new flagship Radisson Blu Hotel du 2 Février. The second AHIF will take place on October 2-4 at the Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Center, Kigali, Rwanda.
W Hospitality Group managing director Trevor Ward said in a statement: “There are two reasons why development activity in North Africa is now somewhat subdued.
“Firstly, the markets there are more mature and have already seen much development, so there are fewer opportunities for new hotels.
“Secondly, there is the political turmoil — in Libya, which has seen a 40% drop in the pipeline, and also Egypt, parts of which are experiencing drastic reductions in the number of tourists.”
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