Cape Town's tourism has shown remarkable resilience through global crises, with air connectivity proving to be the quiet engine behind its rise as a world-class destination. The numbers reveal surprising insights about where visitors come from, how much they spend, and how growth is spreading well beyond the city itself.
Industry Insights
We have written thousands of articles about all aspects of hospitality, including valuations, investing, lending, operations, asset management, and much more.
Cape Town Tourism Shows Resilience Despite Global Uncertainty
Cape Town's tourism has shown remarkable resilience through global crises, with air connectivity proving to be the quiet engine behind its rise as a world-class destination. The numbers reveal surprising insights about where visitors come from, how much they spend, and how growth is spreading well beyond the city itself.
Hospitality in the GCC: Hotel Owner and Investor Sentiment on the U.S.-Iran Conflict
HVS is pleased to present the Hospitality GCC Hotel Owner & Investor Survey, offering insights into market sentiment and expectations across the region. While uncertainty continues to influence decision-making, the hospitality sector has consistently shown resilience and adaptability. Investors that remain flexible and responsive to evolving market trends are likely to be better positioned for future opportunities.
Shock, Divergence, and Recovery: The Impact of the 2026 U.S.–Iran Conflict on GCC Hospitality
The 2026 U.S.-Iran conflict caused a sharp, rapid disruption to GCC hospitality by collapsing aviation capacity and traveler confidence. While flights began recovering after April, hotel demand lagged. Internationally exposed markets like the UAE were hit hardest, while Saudi Arabia showed resilience due to domestic and religious demand. Recovery is expected to be gradual, driven more by confidence than connectivity.
Why Wellness Resorts Offer Healthy Investment Opportunities
Today’s travelers are prioritizing their health and wellbeing more than ever before, triggering the rapid development worldwide of dedicated resorts and driving mainstream hotels to expand their facilities. Hala Matar Choufany, president of HVS Middle East Africa, drills down into the numbers and explains why health-related resorts offer significant potential for regional developers.
HVS Global Perspectives: Our 2025 Outlooks
Our views around the world reflect early optimism for 2025, with the anticipation of stronger transaction activity and modestly improving hotel metrics in most regions.
Luxury Hotel Market’s Investment Opportunities
The Middle East's luxury hotel market is expanding, fueled by economic diversification and a growing population of high-net-worth individuals. Key destinations like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are experiencing significant development in luxury accommodations. However, potential oversupply in major cities could affect room rates and occupancy. The outlook remains positive, supported by continued investment in unique, high-end experiences.
Visitation Growth & Key Tourism Drivers in the MEA Region
Hala Matar Choufany shares her insights on Bloomberg Alsharq with Maya Hojeij, discussing key drivers behind the region's impressive visitation growth and tourism expansion.
An Overview of San Francisco’s Prolonged Recovery
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, San Francisco has been navigating a difficult recovery affected by multiple issues, from safety concerns to a weak convention calendar. However, the long-term outlook remains cautiously optimistic given the growing presence of AI companies and major sporting events planned for 2026.
Florence Market Pulse
This article examines Florence's tourism industry resilience amidst crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, analyzing key performance indicators such as airport statistics, hotel supply, and operating performance. Despite setbacks, Florence witnessed a remarkable recovery, notably in 2023, with record-breaking Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR). The analysis also highlights investment trends and future challenges, including concerns about over-tourism and evolving market dynamics.
Hospitality in the Middle East
Hala's contribution as one of the leading world experts in the "Business and Management Collection" from Henry Stewart Talks on the topic of Hospitality in the Middle East
Industry Insights
We have written thousands of articles about all aspects of hospitality, including valuations, investing, lending, operations, asset management, and much more.
HVS is pleased to present the Hospitality GCC Hotel Owner & Investor Survey, offering insights into market sentiment and expectations across the region. While uncertainty continues to influence decision-making, the hospitality sector has consistently shown resilience and adaptability. Investors that remain flexible and responsive to evolving market trends are likely to be better positioned for future opportunities.
The 2026 U.S.-Iran conflict caused a sharp, rapid disruption to GCC hospitality by collapsing aviation capacity and traveler confidence. While flights began recovering after April, hotel demand lagged. Internationally exposed markets like the UAE were hit hardest, while Saudi Arabia showed resilience due to domestic and religious demand. Recovery is expected to be gradual, driven more by confidence than connectivity.
Today’s travelers are prioritizing their health and wellbeing more than ever before, triggering the rapid development worldwide of dedicated resorts and driving mainstream hotels to expand their facilities. Hala Matar Choufany, president of HVS Middle East Africa, drills down into the numbers and explains why health-related resorts offer significant potential for regional developers.
Our views around the world reflect early optimism for 2025, with the anticipation of stronger transaction activity and modestly improving hotel metrics in most regions.
The Middle East's luxury hotel market is expanding, fueled by economic diversification and a growing population of high-net-worth individuals. Key destinations like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are experiencing significant development in luxury accommodations. However, potential oversupply in major cities could affect room rates and occupancy. The outlook remains positive, supported by continued investment in unique, high-end experiences.
Hala Matar Choufany shares her insights on Bloomberg Alsharq with Maya Hojeij, discussing key drivers behind the region's impressive visitation growth and tourism expansion.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, San Francisco has been navigating a difficult recovery affected by multiple issues, from safety concerns to a weak convention calendar. However, the long-term outlook remains cautiously optimistic given the growing presence of AI companies and major sporting events planned for 2026.
This article examines Florence's tourism industry resilience amidst crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, analyzing key performance indicators such as airport statistics, hotel supply, and operating performance. Despite setbacks, Florence witnessed a remarkable recovery, notably in 2023, with record-breaking Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR). The analysis also highlights investment trends and future challenges, including concerns about over-tourism and evolving market dynamics.
Hala's contribution as one of the leading world experts in the "Business and Management Collection" from Henry Stewart Talks on the topic of Hospitality in the Middle East
Robust demand in urban centers continues to drive Canadian hotel values despite high interest rate environment.