Drogba scores big tourism win for Côte d’Ivoire
Forum de l’Investissement Hotelier Africain (FIHA) conference will discuss how to spend it
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, February 25, 2020/ -- International soccer star Didier Drogba has helped his birthplace,
Côte d’Ivoire, strike gold by helping to collect MOUs for a total of $15 billion in commitments to back tourism projects in the west African
country.
The breakthrough comes ahead of the UNWTO Forum for Africa, which will
take place in Abidjan next week (February 20-22) and the influential
Forum de l’Investissement Hotelier Africain (FIHA), which takes place in Abidjan next month (March 23 – 25). FIHA is known for its ability to
link up the new investors with developers, consultants, contractors,
hoteliers and political leaders.
The former Chelsea striker – and now UN world tourism ambassador – was
part of a successful global push to promote the rising success and
attractiveness of Côte d’Ivoire’s tourist economy. The country boasts a
GDP growth rate of about 8% in 2019 and, as a destination, it’s in third place in Sub-Saharan Africa, with 2 million international visitors,
behind South Africa and Zimbabwe, ahead of Uganda, Botswana, Kenya or
Mauritius (according to UNWTO 2018 data).
Matthew Weihs, Managing Director, Bench Events, which organises FIHA,
said: “This is an extraordinary and impressive effort by Côte d’Ivoire;
and it makes this year’s Forum particularly interesting because the
funding commitments are in place and the task now is to make projects
happen.” Last year’s successful FIHA in Marrakech attracted 300
delegates from 28 countries.
Under the banner, Sublime Côte d’Ivoire, Didier Drogba was a key player
in a team of top Ivorian business and political leaders, as well as
showbusiness figures, who took a roadshow to Dubai and Hamburg. They
returned with more than 15 billion dollars of funding commitments for a
variety of tourism projects, from hotels, to resorts and coastline
development. All the backers have been invited to attend FIHA.
Philippe Doizelet, Managing Partner of Horwath HTL, the world’s largest
and most experienced hospitality consultants, has been guiding Côte
d’Ivoire’s efforts. He said: “It’s a blank page that the industry can
write on in the most exciting way. Much has to be built – hotels
alongside cultural centres and conference facilities, among other
things. The amazing coastline offers great ‘bleisure’ (a mix of business and leisure) opportunities. Beyond Abidjan; Boulay island, Bassam and
Jacqueville are currently the most promising locations.” He sees the
greatest potential in ‘mixed-use’ projects, combining leisure, office
and retail units with hospitality, in particular, branded 2-star &
3-star hotels and extended stay apartments.
Leading the country’s ambition to make tourism one of the main pillars
of the economy, is Tourism Minister Siandou Fofana. Described by
Philippe Doizelet as “visionary and deeply committed. He works hard to
bring people together and attracts the best experts.”
Bench Events, Managing Director, Matthew Weihs concluded: “FIHA and its
affiliated event, the Africa Hotel Investment Forum, are central to
driving investments in regional hotel and mixed-use projects. The events connect key international and regional stakeholders, private and
institutional investors to the hotel developers and operators that are
fuelling the growth of the hotel industry across the continent. The
projects that are promoted and funded at FIHA drive investments in
tourism, stimulate economic growth in regional markets, create jobs and
encourage much needed infrastructure.”
About Horwath HTL:
Horwath HTL (https://www.HorwathHTL.com) is the world’s largest and most experienced hospitality consulting
brand, with 45 offices around the globe. Founded in in New York in 1915, it has been providing impartial, specialist advice to its clients for
over 100 years and is recognised as the market leader in all areas of
hotel, tourism and leisure consulting. As the founders and original
authors of the Uniform System of Accounts, the industry standard for
hospitality accounting, Horwath HTL wrote the book on how the industry
measures financial performance in hotels.
About the Forum de l'Investissement Hôtelier Africain (FIHA):
FIHA (https://www.FIHA-conference.com) is the premier hotel investment conference in Francophone Africa,
attracting many prominent international hotel owners, investors,
financiers, management companies and their advisers. It takes place at
the Sofitel Abidjan Hotel Ivoire on March 23-25. It is organised by
Bench Events which has an established record of delivering high-level
networking and thought leadership conferences for hospitality investment and aviation in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin
America. ‘Creating an impact’ is the core focus of Bench Events, as the
company enables growth by facilitating deal opportunities. www.BenchEvents.com.
Sponsors of FIHA are: Host Partner: Accor; Gold Sponsors: Amandla
Capital, Insignia, Marriott and STR; Silver Sponsors: Louvre Hotels
Group, Mangalis Hotel Group, SB Architects and STM Electromech; Bronze
Sponsors: Magespro, IT Hospitality, JLL and work4stars; Roundtable
Sponsor: In Extenso; Research Partner: Horwath HTL; Exhibitors: Agora
and Oger International.
Drogba scores big tourism win for Côte d’Ivoire
Drogba scores big tourism win for Côte d’Ivoire
Drogba scores big tourism win for Côte d’Ivoire
Drogba scores big tourism win for Côte d’Ivoire
Drogba scores big tourism win for Côte d’Ivoire
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