Tourism investor Kamel Abou Aly, Chairman of Pickalbatros Hotels & Tourist Resorts, received the AFASU Golden Award for sustainable tourism development and excellence in tourism leadership and development as "Man of the Year 2025-2026" (AFASU GOLDEN AWARDS), granted by the Afro-Asian Union "AFASU" for Tourism, Handicrafts, Research and E-Commerce, during an awards ceremony held yesterday at the Pickalbatros White Beach Hurghada hotel, attended by members of the AFASU board of directors, a number of tourism and hotel figures, members of the supreme jury and international experts in tourism, investment and media.
Meanwhile, the group received the "Exceptional Excellence in Hotel Investment and Management" award, and Mohamed Eid Soliman, Regional Marketing Director of Pickalbatros Group, was granted the award for Best Marketing Manager in the hospitality sector in the Middle East and North Africa, in recognition of his efforts in developing tourism marketing strategies. In his speech at the ceremony, he stressed that the award is the fruit of the collective effort of an integrated team that has been working in the Egyptian market for more than 30 years under the leadership of businessman Kamel Abou Aly.
This coincided with Kamel Abou Aly appearing on the cover of the August 2025 issue of Forbes Middle East, on the occasion of his selection among the Top 100 Travel and Tourism Leaders in the Middle East.
Dr. Hossam Darwish, President of the Union, stressed in his speech that this honor comes in recognition of Kamel Abou Aly's continued successes in tourism investment and his prominent contributions to strengthening Egypt's position on the global tourism map, as well as his community role and his participation in major regional and international initiatives.
Kamel Abou Aly delivered a speech during the ceremony in which he said he is proud of this honor, stressing continued work on developing the sector and offering unique tourism experiences, and noting that tourism is a fundamental pillar of the Egyptian economy and that he remains optimistic about its ability to recover and grow despite the challenges.
In a related context, Major General Khaled Fouda, Adviser to the President of the Republic for Local Development and Honorary President of the Union, stressed in his speech that this honor reflects the extent of international appreciation for successful models in the Egyptian tourism sector, and considered the achievements made under the leadership of figures such as Kamel Abou Aly a model to be emulated in the region.
For their part, members of the Union's board of directors and the jury, which includes 45 international experts, stressed that the awards are granted according to precise criteria, including innovation, sustainability, effective management and impact on the tourism market.
A number of jury members spoke at the ceremony, including international tourism expert Bernard Metzger, Dr. Jens Thraenhart, and experts Yolanda Perdomo and Olga Stoyel, who stressed that the Pickalbatros Group represents a global model of hotel expansion and quality.
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