Doha: Three Qataris were listed among the Forbes Middle East's Top 50 Travel & Tourism Leaders list.
The list spotlights 50 leaders who drive growth in the Middle East's travel and tourism industry, building on their desire to reconnect with the world.
The three Qataris are Akbar Al Baker, Chairman of Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive; Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) Chairman, and Hussain Ibrahim Alfardan, Alfardan Group chairman.
The hotels and hospitality sector were the most dominant with 26 entries, followed by aviation with 17, and tourism with seven entries.
The Forbes Middle East website said that 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.
It also said that working remotely has today become commonplace for many employees, with big tech companies, adding that 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.
