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The contribution of tourism to the Gross Domestic Product is very residual. The market has been down for several years, the Covid-19 pandemic has not helped, but entrepreneurs in the sector expect 2025 to be a better year, especially in the provinces, benefiting from the celebrations of fifty years of independence.
Six out of every 10 rooms of the four-star hotels in Luanda were empty in 2024, that is, the occupancy rate in this hotel segment was about 38%, with an average room price of around 190 USD per night, says the consultant Abacus in her annual report on the Angolan real estate market, published last April.
According to data of the consultant, Luanda, in 2024, had a stock of 2,690 rooms available, against the 2,456 rooms in the same period of the previous year.
The researchers understand that, despite being a very short number, the occupancy rate is still very low, making it difficult to attract investment in the sector, a reality that highlights the crisis in the sector and that is far from reaching the pre-pandemic levels.
The segment of the business hotel in Luanda, in 2024, saw another hotel, the Protea Hotel By Marriott, with four stars and 84 rooms, thus increasing to 14 units that offer the quality standards required for this segment of tourists arriving at Angolan borders.
Abacus indicates in its annual report that the current state of demand, downwards, in line with the economic environment, does not allow occupancy rates to be desirable, and thus there is an inevitable pressure on prices, i.e. the consultants understand that the high prices charged in hotel units are the result of the weak demand for accommodation.
Unlike market law, in which the higher the demand the more prices increase, in this sector the opposite happens, since a lower demand “forces” the units to try to compensate for the invoicing losses with increasing prices.
According to published data, by September 2024, 53,587 tourists will have entered the country, compared to 75,675 thousand in the same period of 2023, representing an increase of 10.5% in the space of one year.
The consultant points out, on the other hand, that the executive continues, in an unprecedented effort, to take place important conferences in Angola, with the aim of seeking a slight improvement in numbers, but still the hotel occupation fell slightly compared to the same period of 2023 (see graphs).
However, 2025 is expected to be a little better. That is why, according to data from the INE report on the economic situation to companies, referring to the IV quarter of 2024, in the tourism sector the confidence indicator of entrepreneurs and tourism managers presented a positive trend, considering that the economic situation begins to be favorable…Click here to read the full article
