Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group, who is also the president of Dubai Civil Aviation and chairman of Dubai Airports, has been ranked as the top travel and tourism leader by Forbes Middle East.
The list highlights 50 leaders from the Middle East who drive growth in the region's travel and tourism sector, building on their desire to reconnect with the world, state news agency Wam reported on Sunday.
Dubai Airports' chief executive Paul Griffiths ranked third in the list.
"The UAE dominated this month's list, with 24 of the leaders featured based in the UAE, followed by 11 in Saudi Arabia, and four in Egypt," the report said.
The hotels and hospitality sector provides the list with 26 entries, followed by aviation with 17 and tourism with seven entries.
The Middle East’s travel and tourism sector is likely to reach $246 billion this year, just 8.9 per cent below pre-pandemic levels, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.
The sector contributed $270bn to the region’s economy in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic struck, the global tourism body said on March 2.
“Since the start of the pandemic, governments across the Middle East have shown real commitment to travel and tourism. Saudi Arabia, in particular, is making a major investment in travel and tourism,” Julia Simpson, WTTC president and chief executive, said at the time.
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
