Will a Woman Finally Lead Global Tourism at the UN?

Politico

16-05-2025

Hey all! Thanks for reading Women Rule. Feel free to reach out with any tips, questions, concerns: [e-mail] and [e-mail]. This week, I spoke with business leader Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais on her campaign to serve as the first secretary-general of the United Nations Tourism Department.
Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais is running to make history as the first woman secretary-general of the United Nations Tourism Department, and is making economic empowerment and opportunities for women a core component of her campaign.
Nominated by the United Arab Emirates, Al Nowais is an Emirati business leader with decades of experience in the tourism and hospitality industry. She currently serves as vice president of owner relationship management at Rotana, an Abu Dhabi-based hotel management corporation.
Her nomination alone is historic, as she is the first Emirati woman to be backed for the role.
Nominees for the secretary-general position include candidates from Ghana, Tunisia and Greece. One other woman, Gloria Guevara of Mexico, is also vying for the title. The current secretary-general, Zurab Pololikashvili, nominated by Georgia, was seeking a third term, but withdrew from the race this week after the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs rescinded their support and endorsed Al Nowais.
U.N. Tourism general assemblymembers will hold a nominating ceremony May 30 for the position. If elected, Al Nowais would oversee the agency's efforts to encourage access to sustainable, responsible tourism globally.
Women Rule spoke with Al Nowais on her nomination, the changing role of women in UAE business sectors — and how she aims to improve economic opportunities for women in the tourism and hospitality industry.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
I'd like to hear about one of the key components of your campaign, which is economic empowerment for women in the industry.
I've been working in the tourism industry, the hotel industry particularly, for the last two decades. And as you know there's not a lot of women represented in that sector. We see numbers grow, but not as much as we want to see. It's a people-oriented type of mental industry, and it takes a lot of time and effort. You need to be on standby all the time, and it's very demanding, but they don't know the fact that when women are there, they actually do make a difference. So we started with 10 percent and today [women] represent around 28 or 30 percent of the workforce. Particularly in Saudi [Arabia], most of the nationals that join the workforce in Saudi are women, and particularly in hospitality, because they want to make a difference. They want to be part of this industry which makes a huge impact on the economy. What I would like to emphasize within this role is to make people aware of the industry, the results the industry is driving and making it more accessible for women. We want them to feel comfortable in this environment, especially an environment which is more male-dominated.
Every two, three months we have a working group, where we bring all the women together. It's an open space, and it allows us to create a dialogue and know exactly what is frustrating them, the things that they would like to address, and how we can solve them. We either come up with quick wins, quick solutions, or we can at least tell them that this is something that we will think of and ensure that it gets implemented, whether it's related to nursing, whether it's related to women that have kids. How can we create the right working environment for them to be able to work comfortably knowing that their kids are in a safe place? So it's a balance. We need to make sure that there's a right balance between the work environment and between families. And this is something that we have tried and measured.
What are the biggest challenges for women in business in the UAE? And more broadly, do you see any parallels in those challenges for women in the U.S.?
In the UAE, we're very lucky with our leadership. They were able to see that women are able to drive results, and that's why women in the UAE are able to get to where they are. You have ministers, you have doctors, you have engineers, you have captains. And this is the reason that our leadership is trying to push women to the forefront. Every publicly-listed company in the UAE has to have at least one board member who is a woman, because they want to give the opportunities to women out there, and particularly those who have the right experience and expertise.
I think the U.S. has also advanced. Many nations, not only the U.S., need more time to get to higher percentages of women in the workplace, but they're getting there.
You have a significant amount of experience as a business leader in the tourism and hospitality sector in the UAE. How has gender equity always been a priority in your work?
Yes, I believe we need to give people, whether women or men, the right opportunities. We have to know because it's very important in this industry to be able to determine and identify the right talent, and talent is key for us to survive and to be successful.
If elected, you would be the first woman to serve as the Secretary-General of the U.N. tourism department. What would that mean for you?
I'll be, obviously, very proud. I'd be honored. And it's a responsibility. I'd have to execute it and put measurable elements that would allow me to prove that my promises are accomplished. It's not just promises, but delivering. So there's a lot of things I would like to do, and one of the things I would like to focus on is women.
Why is it important for you to prioritize gender equity and, more broadly, social equity in the tourism and hospitality sector?
Going back to the human and emotional connection, women can be more emotionally connected. If you are emotionally connected to people, you will be able to serve them better. I have a story. Everyone has a story, but it all depends on how you relay that story, how you communicate it, how you document it, because those stories will resonate in people, and they will be able to remember, remember you with those stories, and be able to relate to those stories. And you know, give better.
The World Travel and Tourism Council reported that the U.S. is set to lose roughly $12.5 billion in international travel spending, citing Trump administration policies as a deterrence for foreign visitors. I'm curious to get your thoughts on that.
Tourism is a connector. It bridges between cultures and bridges between people, and it should always be focused on being a good force so people will continue to want to travel. They will continue to want to explore different destinations no matter what comes up. Tourism should remain focused as being a neutral medium and connecting between cultures and people and economies as well.
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