Read all of the highlights from the 2021 Arabian & African Hospitality Investment Conference, held Sept. 20-22 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Click on each headline below to read more.
With a muddled investment landscape and strong competition for assets, many investors in the Middle East and Africa remain focused on repositioning, capital expenditures and opportunistic purchases.
Africa's hotel industry is no stranger to challenges, poor alignment and lack of funding and talent, but hotel executives said the pandemic might result in closer bonds and more brand penetration.
Before COVID-19, hotel companies in the Middle East were principally focused on occupancy and segmentation. The pandemic has turned that business model on its head, with owners and operators playing to their strengths, isolating travel patterns and positioning themselves for recovery of profitability.
Seeking to recast itself as a major tourism provider, Saudi Arabia's hospitality industry is making major strides with developments in experiential travel.
Known predominantly as a developer of residences and shopping, Dubai’s Emaar Properties includes a growing hospitality division that has three brands, two sub-brands and a growing international presence.
Dur Hospitality plans expansion and growth in Saudi Arabia’s emerging cities, pilgrimage Holy Cities and within the country’s Vision 2030 tourism program, but, following a series of mergers and joint ventures, its in-house brands are starting to look at international markets, too.
Recaps
With the Middle East largely able to roll out comprehensive vaccination programs and continue to oversee investment and development opportunities, the region can capitalize on tourism recovery, but events will lag behind even as mega-events such as Expo 2020 near.
The second day of the Arabian & African Hospitality Investment Conference was dominated by a call for sustainability, as attendees said there never has been a more obvious and critical time to come to action.