AHIF Books Addis

The Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF), which is the premier tourism and hotel investment conference in Africa, attracting many prominent international hotel owners, investors, financiers, management companies and their advisers, will return to the Sheraton Hotel, Addis Ababa in the last week of September, 23-25, 2019. AHIF was previously held in Ethiopia's capital city in 2014 and 2015; the following two years, the conference moved to Kigali and last year to Nairobi.

Matthew Weihs, Managing Director of Bench Events, which organises AHIF said: "Our delegates, sponsors and investors will all be pleased to return to Addis because it is an extremely well-connected, dynamic, developing destination."

For the past 15 years, Ethiopia has been blazing an impressive trail when it comes to economic performance, with GDP growth being in the high single digits. According to the IMF, Ethiopia's current GDP growth rate is 8.5%, surpassing every other country in Africa, except Libya. Its tourism sector has been growing strongly too, aided by enlightened immigration policies. Last November, Ethiopia relaxed its visa regulations to enable all Africans to gain a visa on arrival and, later in the same month, ForwardKeys revealed that Addis Ababa's Bole International airport had overtaken Dubai as the main gateway to Sub Saharan Africa. Three months later, in February 2019, a new airport terminal building was opened, doubling capacity to 22 million passengers a year.

The country is blessed with a few significant assets which make it attractive to investors in hotels and other tourism related businesses. In addition to its strong economy and hub airport, Addis is the headquarters of the African Union, which makes it the most important destination for political and intergovernmental meetings in Africa. Indeed, hosting international meetings is a huge generator of foreign currency revenue. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), Ethiopia's travel & tourism industry is responsible for 35.2% of total exports. It is also a sector that WTTC predicts will continue to grow at 4.0% per annum over the coming decade.

By moving location every year or two, AHIF has provided direct economic benefits to various African cities. A recent economic study by Grant Thornton revealed that hosting AHIF brings, on average, $1m in direct benefit to the local economy, an additional $1.4m in indirect benefit and a substantial six-figure sum in tax to the government. The study also estimated the value of deals done at the conference to be $4.4bn.

AHIF is organised by the global event organiser Bench Events, which has a long track record of delivering multiple premium hotel investment conferences and forums across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America. Market leading annual conferences include the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) in Dubai, now in its 14th year, the South American Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference (SAHIC), the Aviation Development Conference (AviaDev) and the Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF). Earlier this year, Bench launched the Forum de l'Investissement Hôtelier Africain (FIHA), a sister event to AHIF, designed to appeal to the Francophone countries of North and West Africa, in a bid to develop their economies and support hotel and hospitality investment.

About the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF)

AHIF is the premier hotel investment conference in Africa, attracting many prominent international hotel owners, investors, financiers, management companies and their advisers. It is organised by Bench Events (www.benchevents.com), who has a long track record of delivering multiple premium hotel investment conferences and forums across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America. Bench Events' mission is enabling prosperity by facilitating growth, networking, and thought leadership in the hospitality industry worldwide.
www.benchevents.com.

Sponsors of AHIF are: Platinum Sponsors: Accor, Hilton, Marriott International and Radisson Hotel Group; Gold Sponsors: Aleph Hospitality, Cabo International Partners, Citymax Hotels, Dream Hotel Group, Drees and Sommer, Grant Thornton, Hotel Partners Africa, Insignia, IHG, JLL, Munich RE, PrideInn, STR, Stuart and Partners, TIME Hotels, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts.

About The Bench

The Bench is a leading organiser behind some of the most influential investment event brands across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. The company is renowned for guiding businesses towards investments, connections and insights that shape the future of their industries. Known for crafting events with significant economic impact since 1996, The Bench's event participants include government leaders, tourism ministries, global travel and tourism associations, leading hospitality brands, hotel owners and investors, top restaurant groups, airlines and aviation authorities, destination developers, asset managers, financial groups, and consultants. These stakeholders participate to achieve their specific goals, leveraging platforms such as AHIC, now known as FHS World, FHS Saudi Arabia, AHIF, IDEEA, and AviaDev. The Bench's events serve as pivotal venues for industry leaders to exhibit their brands, establish themselves as thought leaders or innovators, and forge connections with valuable opportunities and insights.

Learn more on thebench.com

About FHS Saudi Arabia

Dates: 29 April – 1 May 2024

Location: Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Sponsors: Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh and Al Khozama Management Holdings as Host Sponsors; Ministry of Tourism Saudi Arabia as Strategic Partner; Taiba Investments as Founding Partner; Tourism Development Fund as Enablement Partner; Baheej, Boutique Group, Hilton, Kerten Hospitality, KAFD, NEOM, Radisson Hotel Group, Red Sea Global, Rua Al Madinah Holding and Saudi Icon Company as Platinum Sponsors; Saudi Tourism Investment Company (ASFAR), Accor, Club Med, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Jabal Omar Development Company, Marriott International, Millennium Hotels and Resorts and Rotana as Emerald Sponsors; Aleph Hospitality; ARC, Al Futtaim Engineering & Technologies, Bits Arabia, CBRE, Colliers; Compass Project Consulting, Dan Company, DAR Engineering, Daniel Ost, Domus Managed Housing, ELAF, IHCL, Insignia, JLL, JT & Partners, Kohler, Knight Frank, LEVA, Louvre Hotels Group, Minor Hotels, QUO, Rove Hotels, Shaza Hotels, Tashyid Urban Development, The Ascott Limited, Valor Hospitality Partners, Whitewater and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts as Gold Sponsors; Conran Design Group, H World International, HVS, HMH Hospitality Management Holding, Keane, STR, TV5 Monde, Time Hotels, Voltere by egis and Wisefields as Silver Sponsors; Restroworks and TGP International as GRIF Platinum Sponsors; Soho Hospitality as GRIF Gold Sponsor; Forsite Creative as GRIF Data Partner; Livit as GRIF Culinary & Concept Tour Partner; Melitta Professional as GRIF Coffee Sponsor, and HAMA, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and UN Tourism as Supporters.

David Tarsh
+44 (0) 20 7602 5262
The Bench