Yassine Benslimane, the CEO of Air Algérie, distinguished himself by occupying the 34ème position in the ranking of the most influential leaders in tourism and travel in the Middle East, according to the prestigious magazine Forbes. He took control of Air Algérie in June 2022, and the airline now flies to more than 77 destinations, 44 of which are international.
Previously, Benslimane held several high-level positions, including that of general delegate of the company “Aigle Azur” and commercial director of the Airport Services Administration of Algeria.
Prior to that, Yacine Benslimane held the position of Commercial Director at Algiers International Airport and Financial Director at JCDecaux Algeria. He holds a Master’s degree from the National School of Civil Aviation (ENAC) in France, as well as a Master’s degree in financial sciences from Abderrahmane Mira University in Béjaïa.
Forbes Ranking and Judging Criteria
For the second consecutive year, Forbes Middle East has unveiled its list of “Middle East’s Most Powerful Tourism and Travel Leaders”. This list highlights 100 leaders who are working to make the Middle East an attractive global tourist destination.
Several criteria were used by Forbes to establish this classification, including the size of the company, the income, the value of the investments and the assets, the ownership of the company and the assets, the positions held by the director, his experience career and other accomplishments. The leaders in this ranking come from 33 different nationalities, with the Emiratis being the most numerous with 16 entries, followed by the Saudis with 12 entries and the British with 10 entries.
#Forbes Unveils the list of “The Middle East’s Most Powerful Travel and Tourism Leaders”, highlighting 100 of the most influential leaders in the region. With 8 posts from tourism bodies. Hospitality companies, hotels and resorts dominated with 59 participation, followed by airlines and airports with 31 participationhttps://t.co/m8ouwcCCVr
– Forbes Middle East (@ForbesME) May 12, 2023
The strong presence of the tourism and travel sector in the Middle East
The tourism and travel sector plays a key role in the economic growth and development of the Middle East, a region that has captured the world’s attention in recent years, especially with the emergence of Dubai on the world tourism map. and increased investment from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Abu Dhabi in this sector.
The tourism sector has recovered 63% of its pre-pandemic levels in 2022, according to the World Tourism Organization report. Separately, the number of inbound visitors to the Middle East region increased to 83% from pre-pandemic levels. The World Travel and Tourism Council predicts that this market will be the most dynamic in Saudi Arabia in the Middle East region, with an annual growth of 11% over the next decade.
The tourism and travel sector also increased its contribution to Middle East GDP by 46.9% in 2022 compared to 2021, or $107 billion. In addition, airlines in the Middle East have experienced
