UAE Business Woman Named UN Tourism Chief
The election is important in determining who will lead the strategic direction of global tourism governance for the next four years.
An Emirati business leader, Shaikha Al Nowais, has been nominated for the leadership position of the UN's tourism agency, which will make her the first woman to ever hold the position.
The executive council of UN Tourism voted on May 30 in Madrid to determine leadership for the next four years. The winning candidate needs support from at least 18 of the council's 35 members.
The Council elected Shaikha Al Nowais as the next Secretary-General, to begin in January 2026.
Her nomination will now be put to the UN Tourism General Assembly for their approval.
The nomination represents a landmark first for the sector, as the first woman leader of UN Tourism in its 50-year history.
Al Nowais has over 16 years of experience in global hospitality. She has held roles such as Corporate Vice President at Rotana Hotels, overseeing owner relations across the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Turkey.
She also chairs the Abu Dhabi Chamber's Tourism Working Group and serves on the boards of the Abu Dhabi Businesswomen Council and Les Roches Hospitality Academy.
The leadership contest comes as UN Tourism struggles with major membership losses. The U.S., Canada, the U.K., and several Nordic countries have withdrawn, citing insufficient value for their financial contributions.
Shaikha Al Nowais faced five other candidates, including incumbent Zurab Pololikashvili of Georgia, who sought a third term. UN Tourism initially questioned whether Pololikashvili could run again due to term limits, though the organization later said those concerns were resolved.
Other candidates included: Gloria Guevara (Mexico), a 35 year tourism industry veteran who was Minister for Tourism in Mexico, Harry Theoharis (Greece), who has served as Greece's Minister of Tourism during the Covid-19 pandemic recovery phase, as well as Habib Ammar (Tunisia), a senior civil servant with decades of experience in Tunisia's public administration, and Muhammad Adam (Ghana), a diplomat and former ambassador to Spain.
Developing. Story to be updated.
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