The 149-room hotel in Nungwi Beach, which will become part of its Riu Palace portfolio, complementing the operator’s existing Riu Palace Zanzibar hotel.

It is situated on a white-sand beach at the far northern tip of Unguja, the largest island of the Tanzanian archipelago off the east coast of Africa – about an hour from the airport and capital.

All 149 rooms are five-star rated, with the hotel offering 24-hour all-inclusive service, free Wi-Fi and an overwater restaurant serving local cuisine.

Riu has also acquired 12 acres of land where it plans to build a third hotel on the island, an investment amounting to $56 million.

The operator said the new project “reaffirmed its commitment” to growing the African content “as a new tourist destination” with an expanded range of sun and beach hotels.

It follows its announcement in June of plans for a new hotel in Senegal, and further expands its African portfolio, which already includes five hotels in Cape Verde and five in Morocco.