ARABIAN Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) 2011 will present Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum with its Outstanding 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.
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.
Jonathan Worsley, chairman of Bench Events which co-organises AHIC, said: “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 Jumeirah Group forward in its ambition to become one of the most distinctive and innovative hospitality groups in the world.
And 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 within the Middle East and Africa.
The winners will be receiving their awards during the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference.