THE MIDDLE EAST’S

Top 50 Travel
& Tourism Leaders

The travel and tourism industry experienced a revival in 2021, following one of the worst years the sector has ever seen. As countries and people continue to emerge from the cloud of the pandemic, their increasing desire to reconnect with the world is expected to become the driving force of growth in travel throughout 2022.

Though the industry has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, its recovery so far has been significant. For example, Jordan’s Queen Alia International Airport welcomed 122% more passengers in 2021 than it did in 2020. And the hotel sector is also poised for growth, with Marriott International expected to open around 25 new properties in the region this year.

Some new trends have also had an impact. Working remotely has today become commonplace for many employees, with big tech companies like Twitter, Meta, and Amazon leading the way. This means that hospitality venues are being used as make-shift offices for travelers, as well as residents seeking a change in their working environment. On the financial side, most travel companies are now favoring an asset-light approach. The separation between the management of operations and real-estate assets now allows hospitality companies to focus on their core business.

This month we release our first ranking of the Middle East’s Top 50 Travel & Tourism Leaders. The U.A.E. dominates, with 24 leaders featured based in the emirates, followed by 11 in Saudi Arabia, and four in Egypt. The hotels and hospitality sector is the most dominant with 26 entries, followed by aviation with 17, and tourism with seven entries.

Methodology

For this ranking, we included leaders that span across the entire travel ecosystem, including aviation, hotels, and destinations. All individuals had to be based in the Middle East. We ranked them based on:
• Size of the business, including revenue, values of investments, and asset value.
• Ownership of assets.
• Designation of the business leader.
• Experience of the business leader.
• Degree of influence of the business leader.
• Other achievements of the business leader.

  Top 50 Travel & Tourism Leaders  

Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum

1. Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum

2. Akbar Al Baker

Paul Griffiths

3. Paul Griffiths

Ibrahim Koshy

4. Ibrahim Koshy

Faisal Al Thani

5. Faisal Al Thani

Tony Douglas

6. Tony Douglas

Jerry Inzerillo

7. Jerry Inzerillo

Hesham Al Qassim

8. Hesham Al Qassim

John Pagano

9. John Pagano

Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor

10. Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor

Mohammed Almowkley

11. Mohammed Almowkley

Amr Abuelenein

12. Amr Abuelenein

Guy Hutchinson

13. Guy Hutchinson

José Silva

14. José Silva

15. Shareef Al Hashmi

Mark Willis

16. Mark Willis

Kamil H. Al-Awadhi

17. Kamil H. Al-Awadhi

Amr AlMadani  

18. Amr AlMadani  

Haitham Mattar

19. Haitham Mattar

Basmah Al Mayman

20. Basmah Al Mayman

Jochem-Jan Sleiffer

21. Jochem-Jan Sleiffer

Amine Debaghine Mesroua

22. Amine Debaghine Mesroua

Sami Bin Abdulmohsen AlHokair

23. Sami Bin Abdulmohsen AlHokair

Nicolas Claude

24. Nicolas Claude

Sandeep Walia

25. Sandeep Walia

Philippe Zuber

26. Philippe Zuber

Hisham Talaat Moustafa

27. Hisham Talaat Moustafa

Hussain Ibrahim Alfardan

28. Hussain Ibrahim Alfardan

Majed Bin Ayed Alnefaie

29. Majed Bin Ayed Alnefaie

Adel Amin Wali

30. Adel Amin Wali

Mark Kirby

31. Mark Kirby

Abdulaziz Al Raisi

32. Abdulaziz Al Raisi

Abdelhamid Addou

33. Abdelhamid Addou

Mohamed Al Zaabi

34. Mohamed Al Zaabi

Nader Ahmed Al Hammadi

35. Nader Ahmed Al Hammadi

Talal Jassim Al-Bahar

36. Talal Jassim Al-Bahar

Nver Mkhitaryan

37. Nver Mkhitaryan

Bander Almohanna

38. Bander Almohanna

Khalid Anib

39. Khalid Anib

Marwan Marzouk Boodai

40. Marwan Marzouk Boodai

Hashil Al Mahrouqi

41. Hashil Al Mahrouqi

Sultan Al-Otaibi

42. Sultan Al-Otaibi

Joachim Schmitt

43. Joachim Schmitt

Nadia Zaal

44. Nadia Zaal

Alison Grinnell

45. Alison Grinnell

Mohamed Awadalla

46. Mohamed Awadalla

Khalifa Bin Braik

47. Khalifa Bin Braik

Alexander Suski

48. Alexander Suski

Adel Mardini

49. Adel Mardini

Ali Abdullah Al-Selham

50. Ali Abdullah Al-Selham

Methodology

For this ranking, we included leaders that span across the entire travel ecosystem, including aviation, hotels, and destinations. All individuals had to be based in the Middle East. We ranked them based on:
• Size of the business, including revenue, values of investments, and asset value.
• Ownership of assets.
• Designation of the business leader.
• Experience of the business leader.
• Degree of influence of the business leader.
• Other achievements of the business leader.

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