Omer Kaddouri. Omer Kaddouri.

Rotana is set to sign a new management agreement in the capital of Egypt at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2018.

The agreement for a new 200-room five-star in New Cairo City will bring the company’s total inventory in the country to 726 keys.

"The hospitality sector is on a strong growth trajectory across the world, and in the Middle East and North African markets in particular. The regional governments have been promoting the tourism sector as part of their increased economic diversification efforts. This, coupled with massive investments in infrastructure developments, has led to an uptick in the number of both leisure and business travellers to the region and, as a result, we have witnessed huge demand across various segments of accommodation.

"The announcement of our second five-star hotel in Egypt rightly reflects the rising market demand in the country and the wider region. With our robust pipeline, we are aiming to address the supply gap to support the development of the economies in our home markets," said Rotana president and CEO Omer Kaddouri, in a statement.

At ATM 2018, Rotana is set to share updates about its pipeline of 48 properties that are scheduled for opening before 2020. The company currently operates 16,161 keys across its 60 hotels in 23 cities and with the launch of the hotels under construction, Rotana will have a presence in 40 cities globally.

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With the aim of extending its geographic reach, Rotana will expand to new markets in Africa with hotels planned in Luanda, Dar Es Salaam, Nouakchott, Lagos, and Cairo. Marking its entry into Europe and South Asia, the company has planned properties in Iskenderun, Istanbul, and Mumbai.

Within its home region, Rotana will add 32 new hotels in existing markets as well as new cities such as Madinah, Dammam, and Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia, Sohar, Barka, and Duqm in Oman, and Baghdad and Suleimaniyah in Iraq.

In 2018, Rotana will open nine new properties. Hotels set to be launched in Q2 2018 include Centro WestSide, Istanbul, Turkey (152 keys) and WestSide Arjaan, Istanbul, Turkey (153 keys); Centro Salama, Jeddah (189 keys) and Johari Rotana, Dar Es Salaam (256 keys). In Q3 2018, Rotana will open Beach Arjaan by Rotana, Abu Dhabi (326 keys); Centro Olaya, Riyadh (156 keys); Centro Corniche, Al Khobar (253 keys) and Imam Reza Rotana, Mashhad, Iran (272 keys) and in Q4 2018, Al Jaddaf Rotana, Dubai will welcome guests to its 338 rooms.