Editor's Note: Some linked articles may be behind subscription paywalls.

New data from the International Air Transport Association shows air travel demand spiked 238% year over year in April, Arabian Business reports. Carriers in the Middle East, specifically, saw a 265% jump in that time frame.

“April data is cause for optimism in almost all markets, except China, which continues to severely restrict travel,” the IATA said.

The organization did warn that some of the high growth is attributed to low comparisons from 2021 and domestic air travel within the region did see a marginal decrease.

With the war in Ukraine and widespread sanctions spurring many wealthy Russians to leave for greener pastures, the United Arab Emirates is expected to be one of the most popular destinations for high-net-worth migration, according to a new report from Henley & Partners reported on by Bloomberg.

“The London-based investment migration consultancy projects the UAE will attract a net inflow of 4,000 millionaires, the most of any country globally, and as many as 2,500 may move to Israel,” the news agency reports. “Russia could suffer a net outflow of 15,000 high-net-worth individuals.”

The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced its business confidence index has hit its lowest market since September 2020, falling to 89.3 in May from 93.7 in April, Reuters reports.

"It might take a while for the economy to recover and gain momentum given prevailing global economic conditions and structural economic challenges that followed on the lockdown regulations," SACCI said in a statement.

Fuel price increases and overall shortages are having a crippling effect across Africa, The Wall Street Journal reports, noting that in Nigeria, airlines have threatened to halt domestic flights due to fuel costs.

“While SubSaharan Africa hosts an estimated 125 billion barrels of crude-oil reserves, almost all oil produced there is exported and then imported again as refined fuel at much higher prices,” the newspaper reports. “That has made African countries especially vulnerable to the sharp increase in global fuel prices triggered by Russia’s war against Ukraine. They also often find themselves at the back of the line for fuel imports, with refineries giving priority to larger markets in developed countries in times of high demand.”

• Radisson Hotel Group announced the opening of the 88-room Radisson Hotel Sfax, the brand’s second property in Tunisia.
• The 191-room Mansard Riyadh, a Radisson Collection Hotel, opened in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia. It is the second Radisson Collection property in the city.
• The 206-room Radisson Blu Hotel, Durban Umhlanga opened in Durban, South Africa.
• Javier Águila was appointed group president of Europe, Africa and The Middle East for Hyatt Hotels Corp.
• The latest pipeline survey from W Hospitality Group and the Africa Hospitality Investment Forum showed Accor — with 107 properties and 20,857 rooms — and Marriott International — with 103 properties and 20,248 rooms — have the largest pipelines of hotels under development in Africa.
• Radisson announced the opening of its first property in South Sudan, the 154-room Radisson Blu Hotel, Juba.
• Marriott International signed an agreement with the Red Sea Development Company for Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, on a set of private islands off the western coast of Saudi Arabia. The property will be the first Ritz Carlton Reserve in the Middle East and is expected to open in 2023.

Return to the Hotel News Now homepage.