Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and CEO of Emirates Group, tops the list of the most influential leaders in tourism and travel in the region for 2024, as revealed by Forbes Middle East.
Forbes Middle East highlighted that the CEOs on the list represent nine countries in the region, with the UAE leading the ranking with 54 participants, followed by Saudi Arabia with 19 participants, and Egypt with nine.
Topping this year’s list is Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and CEO of Emirates Group, which owns the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s. By the end of December 2023, Emirates’ fleet comprised 260 aircraft in service, operating flights to 143 destinations.
In second place is the CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority, Fahd Hamidaddin, and in third place is the Director General of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, Helal Saeed Almarri.