Hossam El Shaer Wins the Award for Best Leader in Tourism Development

AFASU GOLDEN AWARDS In a Global Celebration in Sharm El Sheikh:

AFASU NEWS - Sharm El Sheikh

Under the patronage of Major General Khaled Fouda, Governor of South Sinai, and the Afro-Asian Union for Tourism, Development, and Technology (AFASU), the global celebration will kick off in Sharm El Sheikh. The event will be attended by Major General Khaled Fouda and Dr. Hossam Darwish, President of the Afro-Asian Union for Tourism and Development, to present Hossam El Shaer with the "Best Leader" award in tourism development. El Shaer won the award at the level of 102 Asian and African countries. The celebration will be attended by members of the Afro-Asian Union, a large number of officials, and businessmen.
The global celebration will honor Mr. Hossam El Shaer, Chairman of the Board of "Sunrise Resorts and Cruises, SkyMax Holidays" on the occasion of his receiving one of the most prestigious awards from the Afro-Asian Union for Tourism, Development, and Technology (AFASU), the Golden AFASU Award. This is the Best Leader Award.
The union explained in a statement that Hossam El Shaer's nomination for the award comes after his noticeable and tangible achievements in the field of tourism development, sustainable community development, and excellence in leadership and development.
El Shaer won the award after a final selection and competition with Salim Al-Zghal from Tunisia, one of the most important investors in Tunisia, Belgium, and France in the specialized hotel sector, known as thalassotherapy (sea water treatment).
Hossam El Shaer received the award with 89% of the total votes from Afro-Asian tourism figures. Dr. Hossam Darwish, President of the Afro-Asian Union (AFASU), emphasized in his speech that the Best Leader in Tourism Development Award honors every leadership figure who has significantly contributed to tourism development, both locally and globally.

Darwish explained that the Best Leader award is given to those who significantly influence their country's development and have a positive and sustainable impact on the tourism sector. The President of the Afro-Asian Union highlighted Mr. Hossam El Shaer's character and how he has positively and significantly contributed to the development of Egyptian tourism, leading to increased tourist interest in Egypt. He praised the contributions of the giant Sunrise Tourism Group, which is distinguished by its innovative thinking in specialized tourism management.

Major General Hossam Badruddin, Secretary General of the Union, added that today we celebrate a leading figure in the field of tourism development at the global level after a marathon of competition with several figures from friendly countries. In the end, everyone becomes a winner because the goal is sustainable development in the tourism sector, which remains our goal as stated in the COP 27 decisions in Sharm El Sheikh and COP 28 in Dubai.

For his part, Hossam El Shaer expressed his great happiness with the honor in his speech to the attendees, especially since it comes from an international Afro-Asian Union that originates from a prestigious international organization founded by African and Asian leaders, the Organization of Afro-Asian People's Solidarity, established in 1958.
El Shaer said, "I truly feel immense joy for several reasons. I do not apply for awards, nor do I like to put myself in tests. My selection for this award was completely without my knowledge and due to the great enthusiasm of the international jury. Moreover, there is another reason."
He continued, "It is a respectable award that does not flatter anyone at all. The biggest reason for happiness is that it came after selecting the best leader in the world for a tourist city and governorate, Major General Dr. Khaled Fouda. This is a great honor."
He added: "This wonderful award appreciates the efforts of all outstanding individuals in the country and encourages them to continue working for the betterment of our beloved Egypt under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi."

He pointed out: "Allow me to extend special thanks to Major General Dr. Khaled Fouda, Governor of South Sinai, for his support and dedication to serving South Sinai first and then the tourism sector and its professionals. This award comes two and a half months after the distinguished leader, Major General Dr. Khaled Fouda, Governor of South Sinai, received the award for Best Government Leader for a Tourist City in the World, as well as Sharm El Sheikh receiving the award for Best Tourist City in the World, which is the highest level and the highest award from the Afro-Asian Union (AFASU) Golden Awards."
El Shaer added: "I assure you that our companies were pioneers in supporting Egyptian tourism, especially beach tourism, which we consider one of the most important types of tourism capable of supporting the Egyptian economy, as it generates significant income in foreign currencies. Egypt has all the potential to be a leader in this sector."
He explained: "From the standpoint that those who do not thank people do not thank God, I would like to thank the Sunrise team in all its branches for their continuous support and hard work to elevate our country's name in the field of tourism and hotels. Hence, I thank you. My honor today is an honor for the entire team. Thank you for your support, thank you for the high professionalism that has brought us to this level of recognition."

He stated that Sunrise Resorts and its affiliated companies dedicate all their programs, plans, and capabilities to advancing the professional tourism work system to be a platform and launchpad for preparing generations according to the highest standards. We care about both the tourist and the employee, focusing on their training and qualification to meet the requirements of our national tourism institutions with an elite group of qualified personnel capable of embodying our leadership's vision and achieving its plans for a promising tourism future, making us among the most developed and advanced countries in the world.

He emphasized that the recognition by the Afro-Asian Union (AFASU) is a source of pride for everyone and encourages him to continue future successes and make further efforts in serving his country and repaying it.

He added: "I take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to the Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Issa, and his esteemed team for their strenuous efforts to support Egyptian tourism and the workers in this sector. I also thank Ghada Shalaby, Deputy Minister of Tourism, for her tireless efforts to support tourism in our beloved country. I must also thank Mr. Amr El-Kady, CEO of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board, for his continuous work to elevate Egyptian tourism, along with the entire team of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism."

He pointed out that the AFASU Golden Award for Sustainable Tourism Development and the Best Leader Award in Asia and Africa are personal motivators for him, the Sunrise team, and all workers in the tourism sector to make further efforts to bring Egyptian tourism to a leading position in the world.

He noted: "I will not hide from you that after reviewing the award's criteria, its accuracy, the selection process, and the voting method, and after seeing the names and positions of the international jury members, I felt the importance of this award. When I asked Dr. Hossam Darwish, one of the world's leading pioneers in electronic tourism, about the union's vision for this award, his response was as follows: 'Our vision is to celebrate excellence and innovation in the tourism sector, driving sustainable growth and development in our beloved country, Egypt, first, and then in Asia and Africa. We also aim to enhance local competitiveness factors. Our mission is to recognize and honor outstanding achievements in the tourism sector and promote best practices to achieve continuous development aimed at improving the quality of tourism experiences and contributing to raising living standards based on sustainable economic development. We aim to highlight those who work diligently and sustainably in this sector to be role models for future generations.'"

The judging committee for the award consists of thirty-five members (+ 7 variable members) from different countries around the world and international organizations such as the World Tourism Organization, the Asian Tourism Organization, the Russian Tourism Organization, the African Tourism Organization, and some other major international organizations.
In his speech via video conference from the Afro-Asian Union (AFASU) office in Beijing, Counselor Dr. Adel Al-Muslimani, CEO of the union, emphasized the importance of awards in boosting the morale of outstanding individuals and promoting a spirit of fair competition. He also confirmed that the award criteria are precise international standards set by international experts from AFASU members. The evaluation process is conducted in two stages according to the award's standards and categories:
First Stage: This involves scrutinizing the selections made by the nomination committee to ensure they meet the required conditions and award criteria and identifying their merits. A shortlist is then prepared by the technical committee, which can seek external sources to evaluate the nominations.
Second Stage: The technical committee evaluates all nominees from the first stage within different categories, determines the winner, and then submits its final report containing the names of the winners to the executive committee for approval.
As for the voting method to select the winners of the AFASU Golden Award, it consists of four stages, ending with a vote between two individuals.
Major General Dr. Khaled Fouda, Governor of South Sinai, expressed his pride and appreciation for the AFASU Golden Award and the Afro-Asian Union. He congratulated Mr. Hossam El Shaer on receiving the award and stated that this recognition is for an integrated tourism system working hard for sustainable tourism and economic development for the benefit of our beloved country.
At the end of the ceremony, Dr. Hossam Darwish and Major General Hossam Badruddin presented the Golden Shield to Hossam El Shaer amidst applause and congratulations from the attendees.