Mali Businesses See Drop in Activity After Radisson Attack
- Azalai Hotels says occupancy rate plunged to about 50%
- Chamber of Commerce sees delays in trips, investments
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Businesses in Mali, Africa’s third-largest gold producer, are seeing a drop in activity after militants linked to al-Qaeda killed at least 20 people at the Radisson Blu hotel in the capital last week.
Customers started canceling reservations at Azalai Hotels and occupancy plunged to about 40 percent to 50 percent after Friday’s attack, Chief Executive Officer Mossadeck Bally said by phone on Tuesday. Before Friday, the group’s three hotels had zero vacancy, he said. Bamako-based Azalai is the largest hostelry group in Mali and operates a total of seven hotels in West Africa.