Ethiopia Heads League for Hotel Development in East Africa

Addis Ababa September 20/2018 Ethiopia headed the league for hotel development in East Africa, according to the influential annual hotel pipeline survey by Lagos-based W Hospitality Group. Details of the survey, which covers the whole of the African continent, will be one of the key discussions at the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF), it was learned. The hotel development in Ethiopia is almost 50 percent up on last year’s strong figures, with Addis Ababa accounting for 86 percent of the total, almost 5,000 rooms in 25 hotels. There is also planned expansion in Bahir Dar, Bishoftu, Gondar, Hawassa and Langano. In addition to the upcoming branded supply in Addis, there is a large stock of unbranded rooms under construction; but many are stalled, looking for investors to help finish them, the survey showed. Government incentives, alongside international conferences and global bases for NGOs, embassies and aid agencies have all fuelled hotel growth in Addis Ababa. W Hospitality Group Managing Director, Trevor Ward said “Ethiopia’s hotel expansion is truly impressive. The activity there has been huge, and it is very pleasing to see that investors and operators are now looking to exploit the opportunities outside of Addis Ababa, in the secondary cities and tourism centers.” Across the region, Kenya has 2,754 rooms under construction. Ethiopia is the top East African country with 31 hotels, and 5717 rooms under construction. Tanzania is the other significant regional player.