Insights of DoD net bookings across regions, countries, cities, & hotel segments in the Middle East and Africa region. The way ahead to bring some positives during COVID-19 challenging time.

1. Partnership for a
#BetterTomorrow
Navigating the
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA Market
Tuesday, 14 April 2020

2. 2
NAVIGATING THE MIDDLE EAST &
AFRICA MARKET
CS Ramachandran
VP, Hotel Revenue
Optimization –
South Asia, Middle East,
Africa & Australasia
Preferred Hotels & Resorts
Sherif Omar
Director Global Distribution
Shangri-La Hotels
and Resorts
Sam El Asmar
Vice President
Revenue and
Distribution
Rotana Hotel Management
Corporation PJSC
Mona Faraj
Founder & Managing
Director-Insight Out ME &
Managing Director-
HSMAI-ME
HSMAI
Ryan Roach
Group Commercial Director
Newmark Hotels, Reserves
and Lodges
Theresa Prins
Founder & Revenue
Optimisation
Specialist
Revenue Resolutions
Ankur Yadav
AVP & Head of Africa
RateGain
Sourav Mukherjee
VP & Head of ME, India
RateGain
Gaurav Vijh
Director Digital –
Middle East
& Africa
Accor Hotels

3. 3
01 The Current Scenario
MARKET INSIGHTS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST
AND AFRICA REGION
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA: DoD Net Bookings across Regions
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA: DoD Net Bookings across Countries
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA: DoD Net Bookings across Cities
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA: DoD Bookings across Hotel Segments

4. 44
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA: Region
Net Bookings: DoD Comparison from Jan 20, Feb 20, Mar 20 & April 20
If we look at the trends of AFRICA:
→ We see slight increase in net bookings in the
month of Jan and a peak in mid Feb.
→ After that it has been a gradual decrease since
then.
→ After Mid March it’s a flat pattern for both
booking and cancellations.
* Data from RateGain Research Lab || CNBC: First ME Corona Case in UAE
If we look at the trends of MIDDLE EAST:
→ We see that the net bookings have remained
flat in Jan.
→ The first case of Corona in Middle East was
detected on 29 Jan in UAE and we can see that
the decline started since the end of first week of
Feb.
→ The decline is also a week earlier than Africa
and till last week of March. So, the fall has been
more gradual compared to Africa.

5. 55
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA: Countries
Net Bookings: DoD Comparison from Jan 20, Feb 20, Mar 20 & April 20
If we look at the trends of AFRICA:
→ Countries such as South Africa and Egypt
experienced biggest decline since mid-Feb and
has been flat from mid March onwards.
→ Countries such as Morocco, Kenya, Ghana and
Mauritius have seen no bookings post Mid Mar
onwards. This is quite evident as most African
countries closed borders or restricted travels
during mid March.
* Data from RateGain Research Lab|| BBC: Nigeria confirms first case in Sub Sahara region
If we look at the trends of MIDDLE EAST:
→ Countries such as UAE, Turkey and Saudi Arabia
has shown decline since Feb start to Mar end.
→ Kuwait, Turkey, Israel has remain flat over the
months.
→ Since, end of March we see minimal net
bookings at all which indicates that bookings
have almost gone down to zilch
AFRICA:
Trailing 7 Days Net Bookings Average
MIDDLE EAST:
Trailing 7 Days Net Bookings Average

6. 66
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA: Cities
Net Bookings: DoD Comparison from Jan 20, Feb 20, Mar 20 & April 20
The African Cities have shown a pattern similar
to that of African countries.
The capital cities are still seeing some very
minimal bookings but tourist destinations such
as Casablanca, Marrakech and others are seeing
no bookings at all.
The islands of Mauritius and Seychelles are
seeing zilch bookings as well
* Data from RateGain Research Lab
The Middle East Cities have also shown a
pattern similar to that of countries that is a
regular decline over a period of 30-45 days.
The pilgrimage sites such as Makkah, Madinah
and others have shown Zilch bookings.
The capital cities such as Abu Dhabi, Kuwait City
and busy cities such as Dubai are seeing some
bookings but then it’s more than 95% less now
of what was seen in first week of Feb
AFRICA:
Trailing 7 Days Net Bookings Average
MIDDLE EAST:
Trailing 7 Days Net Bookings Average

7. 77
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA: Hotel Segments
Net Bookings: DoD Comparison from Jan 20, Feb 20, Mar 20 & April 20
In AFRICA:
→ The Asian brands and local brands have shown
steep declines. That means they have taken
more hit
→ The Europe brands and US brands have
gradually declined over the Feb to Mar
timeframe.
* Data from RateGain Research Lab
In MIDDLE EAST:
→ The local chains have shown the strongest
decline meaning they are the most hit ones.
→ The Europe and US brands have gradually
decreased over the Feb to Mar time frame
→ The Asian brands have remained flat over the
time frame
AFRICA:
Trailing 7 Days Bookings Average
MIDDLE EAST:
Trailing 7 Days Net Bookings Average

8. 8
02 The Silver Lining
Positives during COVID-19
Inspiration and Hope in these challenging times

9. 9
Financial Support Beyond Borders Employee Support
Free Stay Safe Zone Sanctuaries Health Procedures

10. 10
03 The Way Ahead
How to Navigate the Uncharted Waters of COVID-19?
Phase Wise Changes Expected in Near Future
Foreseen New Sources of Demand
Current Behavior and Expectations from Health & Wellness Tourism
Coping with the Crisis and Best Practices to Safeguard in Current Demanding Scenarios
Crisis Communication and Role of Social Media Marketing
The Next Big Thing

11. 11
04 Question & Answers
POST YOUR QUESTIONS IN THE CHAT BOX.
Our Speakers Would Be Happy To
Answer Your Questions

12. 12
05 Webinars
UPCOMING AND RECORDINGS
https://rategain.com/webinars/

13. 13
06
FOR ATTENDING THE WEBINAR
For a recorded version of the webinar
please drop a note to
marketing@rategain.com
Thank You
Co-Creating a #BetterTomorrow for the
Travel & Hospitality Industry
https://bettertomorrow.rategain.com