Qatar Tourism, in collaboration with Forbes Travel Guide, has announced the selection of a hospitality professional from Qatar to attend the prestigious Rising Star Academy at Le Logis, in France, this October. The initiative reflects Qatar Tourism’s ongoing efforts to strengthen service excellence across the tourism sector through global partnerships, while supporting the development of local talent.
The opportunity was first announced during the 2025 Qatar Tourism Awards, where Hermann Elger, Chief Executive Officer of Forbes Travel Guide, revealed that Qatar would receive a dedicated place at the Academy. As part of its commitment to advancing hospitality standards and investing in people, Qatar Tourism will fully cover the selected participant’s travel expenses.
Following nominations submitted by 29 hotels participating in the Forbes Travel Guide programme, and a joint evaluation process conducted with the Forbes Travel Guide team, Mr Ahmad Al Abdalla, Hotel Manager at Sheraton Grand Doha, was selected to represent Qatar. His appointment reflects his professional experience, leadership within the sector, and his role as a Qatari national contributing to the continued growth and excellence of the country’s hospitality industry.
The Rising Star Academy is a highly regarded four-day programme that brings together emerging hospitality leaders from leading hotels around the world. Hosted at Le Logis in France, the Academy provides an immersive learning experience focused on luxury hospitality operations, leadership development, and international best practices.
Commenting on the initiative, Mr Omar Abdulrahman Al Jaber, Chief of Tourism Development Sector at Qatar Tourism, said: “Service excellence is a key priority for Qatar Tourism as we continue to enhance the visitor experience and support the sustainable growth of the sector. Through our partnership with Forbes Travel Guide, we are creating opportunities for hospitality professionals in Qatar to gain international exposure, exchange knowledge, and contribute to raising service standards across the industry. Ahmad’s selection reflects the strength of local talent and our continued focus on developing future leaders for the sector.”
Katara Hospitality affirmed its pride in supporting and developing Qatari talent within the hospitality sector. The selection of Mr. Ahmad Al Abdalla to join the Forbes Travel Guide Rising Star Academy reflects the high caliber of professional talent that Qatar boasts in this field, and reaffirms the steadfast commitment to nurturing future leaders in the sector. Katara Hospitality also highly commended the efforts of Qatar Tourism and Forbes Travel Guide in creating valuable international development opportunities that contribute to elevating the Qatari hospitality sector on the global stage.
Hermann Elger, Chief Executive Officer of Forbes Travel Guide, added: “Forbes Travel Guide is dedicated to creating opportunities for the next generation of leaders in luxury hospitality,” said Elger. “We are proud to partner with Qatar Tourism on this important initiative, and we welcome Ahmad Al Abdalla to Rising Stars. The Rising Stars program fosters meaningful international exchange and helps shape the future of luxury hospitality leadership.”
This initiative forms part of the wider partnership between Qatar Tourism and Forbes Travel Guide, which includes hotel inspections, training programmes, alignment with international hospitality standards, and collaborative marketing initiatives. It also supports Qatar Tourism’s broader service excellence agenda, including initiatives such as the Qatar Tourism Awards, Taste of Qatar, and the MICHELIN Guide.
Through its collaboration with globally recognised organisations such as Forbes Travel Guide, Qatar Tourism continues to strengthen the capabilities of the tourism and hospitality sector by creating opportunities for knowledge exchange, professional development, and exposure to international best practices. These partnerships play an important role in supporting the sector’s long-term growth while helping elevate service standards across the destination.
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