ARABIAN Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) 2011 has announced the recipients for the major leadership categories in its annual awards.
The winners have been chosen by the AHIC advisory board which is made up of 50 hotel stakeholders, key investors and governmental representatives from across the Middle East and Africa.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum will receive the Outstanding Achievement Award, Gerald Lawless, executive chairman of Jumeirah Group, has been chosen for the Leadership Award, and Nasser Al Nowais, chairman of Rotana Hotel Management Corporation, will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The board has named Sheikh Ahmed, chairman Dubai Airports, president of Dubai Department for Civil Aviation and chairman and CEO of Emirates, as the winner of the newly-created Outstanding Achievement Award in recognition of the role he has played in supporting the tourism industry in Dubai and across the region during the global economic downturn.
Under his guidance, Emirates airline and Group has grown from being a regional airline with just two leased aircraft and three destinations, to an acclaimed international airline with a fleet of more than 100 aircraft and as many destinations across six continents. Sheikh Ahmed’s vision and planning has also helped Dubai maintain its role as one of the most important tourist hotspots in the region, with continuing visitor growth in 2009 despite the global economic downturn and further accelerated increases in 2010.
Sheikh Ahmed said: “I am very pleased to receive the award, which is a reflection of the hard work and commitment shown by everyone involved in Dubai’s hospitality industry as we emerge from the global economic downturn. The continuing growth seen by the emirate and the increased global profile for the region as a whole, means the outlook is extremely positive going forward.
Jonathan Worsley, chairman of Bench Events which co-organises AHIC, commented: “The Outstanding Achievement Award was created by the advisory board in order to express members’ appreciation and acknowledgement of Sheikh Ahmed’s support and vital role during the economic downturn.”
Lawless was chosen as the recipient of the AHIC 2011 Leadership Award for his success in driving the group forward in its ambition to become one of the most distinctive and innovative hospitality groups in the world.
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognises the efforts of Al Nowais who founded Rotana in 1992, in partnership with Selim El Zyr, and has helped build it into the leading regional hotel management company in the Middle East and Africa.
The winners will be receiving their awards during the seventh annual Arabian Hotel Investment Conference, which will be held from April 30 to May 2 at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE.
The nomination process for the other AHIC 2011 awards opened online during February.