Hyatt to double its Africa presence, open six hotels by 2020

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts will open six new hotels in Africa by 2020, the company said in a news release on Tuesday, underscoring the growth of business and international travel on the continent.

The company will open its first hotels in Algeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Senegal and open new hotels in two countries where it already has a presence: Morocco and Tanzania. The hotels will create approximately 2,100 jobs, Hyatt said.

Hyatt is looking for more opportunities to expand in East Africa, it said, citing continued government investment in infrastructure, an expanding middle class and a growing international recognition of the region’s stability.

The new hotels will double Hyatt’s presence in Africa. Potential countries for further expansion could include Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Ghana and Ivory Coast, Hyatt said.

There was 11 percent growth in Sub-Saharan African tourism in the past year, the company said, citing the UN World Tourism Organisation.

The first half of 2017 saw a 14 percent year-on-year increase in international arrivals in East Africa.