“Overall many key African hotel markets reflected a positive turnaround in tourism in the first half of 2018,” says CEO of HTI Consulting, Wayne Troughton. “Though many of these markets continue to trade off a low base, the positive growth in room nights sold bodes well for future occupancy increases and hotel supply,” he states.

The continent continued to attract new regional and global investment, whilst economic and political events, currency shifts and fluctuating tourism demand brought both risks and rewards to hotel markets across the region.

“Recently, we’ve witnessed a noticeable shift in the nature of hotel development in South Africa and the manner in which such developments are funded and owned,” states Wayne Troughton, CEO of HTI Consulting, a specialist hospitality and real estate consulting firm.

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Wayne has been involved in the hospitality, leisure and tourism industries for 22 years. He has held operational management positions in 5-star hotels for 10 years in the United Kingdom and South Africa working for international management companies such as: Three Cities Hotels, Sun international and Forte Hotels.

He began consulting in 1999 with Grant Thornton in South Africa providing specialist consulting services to a diversity of clients in the hotel, tourism, leisure and property development. In 2003 Wayne left Grant Thornton as an Associate Director to start his own specialist Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Consulting Company focusing on assignments in Africa and the Middle East.

Wayne has worked on more than 100 assignments in 31 countries namely: Angola, South Africa, Benin, Botswana, DRC, Gabon, Ghana, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, Yemen, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (Dubai, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah).

Wayne has also consulted to the IFC and the World Bank for the past 7 years on tourism investment climate issues and tourism programs in Africa.

SA hotel industry looks to be emerging from its post-Soccer World Cup slump‚ occupancy and room-rate figures for last year show.