6 Lebanese Ranked Among Forbes’ Top 100 Travel & Tourism Leaders

6 Lebanese Ranked Among Forbes’ Top 100 Travel & Tourism Leaders

The Middle East is increasingly becoming a hub for major sporting events, hosting the Formula One Grand Prix in Bahrain, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. The UAE also hosts UFC events, and Qatar has been a prominent host for football, having held the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and set to host the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2027, marking the event’s first time in the Middle East.

A report by the UNWTO indicates that the global tourism sector recovered 63% of its pre-pandemic levels in 2022. However, the Middle East outperformed this average, recovering 83% of its pre-pandemic visitor numbers.

Forbes’ “Top 100 Travel & Tourism Leaders 2023” list presented the most influential leaders in the region’s travel and tourism industry. Among those, six Lebanese were featured on the list, including:

#29 Haitham Mattar

Haitham Mattar assumed his current role as Managing Director of India, Middle East & Africa at IHG in April 2021. IHG manages and franchises 180 hotels across these regions.

In 2022, IHG expanded its portfolio by opening several new hotels, including voco Bonnington Dubai, voco Doha West Bay Suites, Crowne Plaza West Cairo, and InterContinental Ras Al Khaimah. The company also signed agreements for over 25 additional properties, including InterContinental