For the third year in a row, Forbes Middle East announced the selection of Hossam El-Shaer, Chairman of the Egyptian Tourism Federation, Chairman of the Board of Sunrise Hotels & Resorts and Chairman of the Board of Madar Real Estate Development, in its list of the "Most Powerful Travel and Tourism Leaders in the Middle East 2025".
The list includes 100 leading and influential figures running prominent projects in hospitality, tourist destinations, hotel chains, airports, airlines and travel services in the region, in both the public and private sectors. Forbes makes its selection using an established methodology for compiling the list of leaders working in the travel and tourism sector in the Middle East and North Africa, according to the following criteria:
The size of the company's business, using indicators relevant to each category, such as the number of hotels, rooms, passengers and visitors, in addition to revenue, the value of investments and assets, fleet size, regional presence and expansion efforts; impact on the travel and tourism sector, as well as broader economic impact; asset ownership; executive position; the business leader's influence; notable achievements and initiatives during 2024 and 2025; and professional experience.
It is worth noting that Hossam El-Shaer founded Sunrise, whose portfolio today includes 26 resorts and 7 Nile and sea cruise ships, with a total capacity of 11,000 rooms. The company continues its strategic expansion, having expanded globally to manage a group of hotels in Greece, Morocco and Zanzibar, which has helped take Egyptian hospitality to the global stage.
El-Shaer also founded Madar for Tourism and Real Estate Development, which has become one of the most important real estate development companies in Egypt, through the establishment and development of the "Azha" projects in Ain Sokhna and the North Coast, and the "Kenz El Hadid" project in the Sphinx area of Sheikh Zayed City.
As part of its support for developing human resources in the sector, Sunrise signed a cooperation agreement with Hurghada University in May 2025 to enhance academic cooperation and provide practical training opportunities for tourism and hotel students.
Hossam El-Shaer currently serves as Chairman of the Egyptian Tourism Federation, and previously headed the Chamber of Travel and Tourism Companies and Agencies for several terms, through which he helped shape policies that support the competitiveness of Egyptian tourism and strengthen its position on the global travel map. Through his chairmanship of the federation, and in coordination and cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the federation's board of directors and the five tourism chambers, he is currently working to implement plans to advance the Egyptian tourism industry.
El-Shaer stressed that despite the current geopolitical challenges facing the region, Egypt remains a leading global tourist destination thanks to the diversity of its attractions and the continuation of ambitious development projects, which reflects the vital role of the leaders included in the list in driving the sector forward.
