Showing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, hotels in the Middle East and Africa reported steep declines across the three key performance metrics in March 2020, according to data from STR.

U.S. dollar constant currency, March 2020 vs. March 2019

Middle East

• Occupancy: -51.5% to 35.6%
• Average daily rate (ADR): -19.3% to US$114.88
• Revenue per available room (RevPAR): -60.8% to US$40.86

Africa

• Occupancy: -51.6% to 31.1%
• ADR: -6.4% to US$102.09
• RevPAR: -54.7% to US$31.72

Both the Middle East and Africa saw their lowest absolute occupancy and RevPAR levels for any month on record.

Local currency, March 2020 vs. March 2019

United Arab Emirates

• Occupancy: -49.2% to 41.4%
• ADR: -27.6% to AED411.92
• RevPAR: -63.2% to AED170.57

The absolute occupancy level was the lowest for any month in STR’s United Arab Emirates database. Key markets in the country, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, recorded steep declines in occupancy, -35.6% and -54.7%, respectively.

South Africa

• Occupancy: -45.1% to 37.0%
• ADR: -4.4% to ZAR1,264.83
• RevPAR: -47.5% to ZAR468.02

The absolute occupancy level was the lowest for any month in STR’s South Africa database. At the market-level, Cape Town experienced a drop in occupancy of 46.5%.