Hilton has announced an initial investment of USD$1 million to drive sustainable travel and tourism in Africa. To do so, the company will focus on five key areas - Hilton’s Big Five:

• Youth Opportunity: investing in training and apprenticeship programs to build a strong talent pipeline and tackle identified challenges for youth, including underemployment

• Water Stewardship: the expansion of existing partnerships and the creation of new alliances to help Hilton achieve its goal to reduce its water consumption by 50% and activate 20 context-based water projects in at-risk communities by 2030

• Anti-Human Trafficking: the provision of training and auditing to mitigate against human trafficking, alongside engagement with local NGOs to address the social challenges in local communities

• Local Sourcing: the creation of partnerships to build local entrepreneurs’ capacity to deliver high quality and authentic goods and services, and integrate them into Hilton’s supply chain

• Protecting Wildlife: the promotion of responsible wildlife-based tourism, in line with the WTTC Buenos Aires Declaration on Travel & Tourism and Illegal Wildlife Trade

Hilton’s Big Five will build upon an existing foundation of partnerships and initiatives to deepen it’s impact and to inspire positive social and environmental change across its value chain.

Hilton’s existing 41 operating hotels in Africa have carried out 460 volunteering projects since 2012 to support their communities and manage their environmental impact.

Hilton has been operating in Africa since 1959. With 53 properties in its development pipeline Hilton expects to double its portfolio of hotels on the continent during the next 5 years, including entering new markets such as Botswana, Ghana, Swaziland, Uganda, Malawi and Rwanda.