Hospitality Group's 2015 survey ranked Ethiopia eight out of the top ten countries for chain hotel developments in pipeline with 1,326 rooms.

Currently, Ethiopia has only three brand hotels: Hilton, Sheraton and Radisson Blu. This ranks Ethiopia ahead of Eritrea, Somalia and Djibouti that have no brand hotels under pipeline.

After Brussels and Washington DC, Addis Ababa has the third biggest international diplomatic community in the world, because it is the seat of African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Conferences at these international organizations have boosted the demand for brand hotels.

The hotel industry’s contribution to GDP was 4.2 percent in 2013 and it has peaked to 4.5 percent in 2014. The figure is forecasted to increase by five percent in the coming ten years.

What holds the attention of hotel investors are, the growing number of business and leisure travelers coupled with mounting hotel bookings and an increasing number of hotel investments like the African Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF), bringing international stakeholders, branded hotel developers and leaders together.

Source: The Daily Monitor