A total of 700 new hotel restaurants and bars are expected to open in Africa by 2025. These numbers are according to a new study released by the food and beverage strategy and design firm KEANE.
KEANE based its research on more than 400 food and beverage venues across 100 internationally branded hotels in major African cities and the W Hospitality Group authoritative hotel development pipeline report, according to Travel Daily News.
“Over the last 70 years, the restaurant market internationally has been built on three factors; growing towns and cities, a broad distribution of income and a growing middle class,” said Stefan Breg, group strategy director for KEANE. “When you take into account that the anticipated rate of urbanization, expected across Africa, will outpace India and China in the next 25 years, Africa will become one of the world’s most vibrant dining scenes.”
According to Breg, the anticipated hotels and food and beverage venues could take on various paths moving forward. For example, one route executives are looking is what they call the “European & North American” model. This model means that there would be two-to-three food and beverage venues per hotel but the venues would play a secondary role in the marketing of rooms.
The alternative model in Africa could be the “Middle Eastern & Dubai” model, where there are four or more venues that are operated in association with third parties. This would mean that food and beverage venues would play not only a strategic role but also a significant source of income in the region.
The latest report introduced at the Africa Hotel Investment Forum in Ethiopia this past September revealed that hotel investors are becoming increasingly focused on the performance of the food and beverage element of their businesses, ensuring that they cater to both hotel guests and local tastes.