HCNME ARABIAN TRAVEL MARKET 2023

While Covid-19 posed unprecedented challenges for the hospitality sector, it has been a privilege to witness the resilience of our industry where post-pandemic recovery continues to go from strength to strength. Nowhere is this trend more evident than in the Middle East & Africa.

In 2022 travel statistics painted an optimistic picture, especially for the Middle East and Africa region. Occupancy rates recorded an increase of approximately 19 percent compared to 2021, according to the Middle East and Africa 2022 Hotel Review report by STR. Moreover, in 2022 the Average Daily Rate (ADR) increased by approximately 17 percent, with RevPAR growing almost 40 percent. While in 2022, occupancy was just six percent lower than in 2019, RevPAR was 14 percent higher, driven by a strong ADR increase of over 21 percent compared to 2019.

The positive trends were similar for several destinations, including Abu Dhabi, Amman, Beirut, Cairo and Giza, Casablanca, Cape Town Centre, Dar es Salam, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Lagos, Manama, Muscat, Nairobi, Riyadh, Sandton and Sharm El Sheikh.

Increases in religious and leisure travel have also driv en growth in Saudi Arabia (KSA), which had more than 40,000 hotel rooms under contract at the start of 2023, according to figures released by STR. The Kingdom – re cently declared the fastestgrowing tourism destination in the world - is playing a key role in the regional sector’s upward trajectory, with ex citing growth happening as it builds a world-class tourism industry.

Central to continued successful growth is under standing and pivoting to meet the needs of travellers. As the preferences of guests continue to evolve, the hos pitality industry is quickly adapting to meet new trends. For example, we’ve seen a rise in the number of ‘digital nomads’ looking to mix relaxation and productivity. According to a recent Travel ler Value Index by Expedia Group, 28 percent of people plan on taking a trip in the next 12 months, during which they can combine remote work with leisure travel.

The sector is becoming ever more accessible to these types of guests through the timely introduction of pack ages such as our ‘Work from Wyndham’ offering, with