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Haitham mattar from ras al khaimah tourism development authority at wtm 2016 london
Haitham Mattar is a Lebanese-American business executive and CEO of the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority.
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Haitham mattar on ras al khaimah tourism industry and vision 2019 destination strategy
Career
Since starting his career in hospitality in 1987, Mattar has held senior roles with global hotel brands, including Marriott, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Hilton Worldwide.
In 2000, Mattar assumed the role of Director of Sales and Marketing at InterContinental Dubai, where he was responsible for marketing functions at properties in the Middle East and Africa region. In 2009, he was appointed as Commercial Director Near East, overseeing the commercial functions for IHG's hotels in Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
As Regional Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Hilton Worldwide, Mattar was responsible for the sales strategy of 80 properties across the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, Turkey and Russia.
As CEO of the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, Mattar is responsible for Ras Al Khaimah's brand positioning, destination marketing and growth strategy. Since Mattar has assumed the role of CEO, Ras Al Khaimah has recorded rapid economic progress and unprecedented growth in tourism figures.
Education
A Lebanese-born American citizen and Arabic speaker, Mattar holds an MBA in marketing from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Industry accolades
During his time at InterContinental Hotels Group, Mattar received the "Best Performance" award in 2005 and "EMEA Local Marketing Activity of the Year" award in 2006. In 2007, he was nominated for the "Aim Higher" award.