Ethiopian restaurant and hotel prices see sharp monthly surge

According to the latest data from the Ethiopian Statistics Service, the monthly price increase for restaurant and hotel services surged significantly in September. This specific rise is 2.3 times higher than the overall monthly inflation rate and more than double the increase seen in food or utility prices. Given that restaurants and hotels account for 5.3% of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), this sharp monthly hike represents a meaningful increase in consumer expenditures. While the annual inflation for the sector stands at 15.3%, closely mirroring the national headline rate, the monthly data reveals an acute and intense repricing trend. Analysts suggest this indicates businesses are aggressively passing accumulated operational costs onto customers through higher menu and room prices.