Alejandro Zozaya Lands the #1 spot on Reportur.com's Most Powerful List

In their recent Tianguis Turistico recap, Reportur.com voted CEO of Apple Leisure Group (ALG), Alejandro Zozaya, the most powerful person in Mexican tourism.

Using Tianguis Turistico as a barometer, Reportur.com gauged the 10 most powerful leaders in Mexican tourism today. Individuals were ranked in order of importance, based upon their earned income, social leadership and ability to influence major decisions, prospects remaining at current levels, and assets or number of rooms, fleet, reservations and customers worldwide.

1 – Alex Zozaya, CEO of Apple Leisure Group

Based near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Alex Zozaya lands the #1 position in our 'Top 10' of the most powerful people in Mexican tourism, thanks to his masterful leadership of Apple Leisure Group's vertically integrated collection of companies. The six hospitality powerhouses forming Apple Leisure Group consistently receive top rankings in customer service, earning an estimated three billion dollars in annual sales.

As Apple Leisure Group's Chief Executive Officer, Zozaya leads North America's largest tour operator, Apple Vacations, and since last year, also oversees online tour operators CheapCaribbean.com and Travel Impressions, all while strategically pursuing other acquisitions in the luxury leisure travel market.

To this, add a young, but rapidly growing hotel chain. Founded in 2001, AMResorts brands include Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts, plus Secrets, Breathless, Dreams, Now and Sunscape Resorts & Spas. By 2016, AMResorts will operate 39 accommodation centers with 15,000 keys in 15 locations, compared to their current 32 hotels with more than 12,400 keys in 13 locations.

Combined, Apple Leisure Group's estimated assets are valued at 2 billion dollars. They move close to two million passengers a year, with Apple Vacations taking over one million travelers to Mexico alone, mostly to Cancun and the Riviera Maya.

Zozaya's #1 position in the 'Top 10 REPORTUR' is also justified by his bold social leadership, not as a tourist association head, but for his public pronouncements which are always critical, giving voice to the feeling of the majority of the industry, where individuals often remain silent for fear of reprisal.

Zozaya has earned the respect of Mexico's political and business figures, too, by putting the general interests of the country's tourism industry above all else. He sets the course to follow, as demonstrated by his industry-changing response to 2009 AH1N1 virus epidemic and more recently his refusal to support tax increases.

Apple Leisure Group's primary goals are to have the strongest distribution network in the USA and to see AMResorts become the Caribbean's largest hotel chain in terms of numbers of rooms managed. Based on the company's robust development pipeline and burgeoning online presence, this vision will soon be a reality.