Hospitality in Africa: Egypt at the top

At the start of 2026, the volume of hotel development projects in Africa reached a record high of 675 establishments and 123,846 rooms, representing a remarkable year-on-year increase of 18.6%.

This momentum is driven by a booming North Africa, which now accounts for half of the continent’s projects, posting growth of 27% (more than double that of sub-Saharan Africa), fueled by the active markets of Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.

At the heart of this transformation, Egypt is emerging as the sector’s driving force, with 185 hotels and nearly 46,000 rooms in development, representing 37.1% of the continental total and signing more than 50 new contracts in 2025 alone.

Greater Cairo is becoming the urban epicenter. This strategy, encompassing 22,111 rooms spread across 88 projects, has attracted major global brands such as Accor, Marriott International, Hilton, and IHG.

This Egyptian dominance also extends to the coastline: Red Sea resorts like Sharm el-Sheikh, Marsa Alam, and Ain Sokhna are seeing the rise of large-scale complexes, while the Mediterranean coast is experiencing a massive development around Alexandria.

This unprecedented growth, coupled with the emergence of new business and leisure hubs, confirms that Egypt and its North African neighbors are redefining hospitality standards to attract an increasingly demanding international clientele.