There was a rare burst of warmth in the marble hall of Riyadh’s conference centre this week, the kind that can’t be choreographed by protocol. When Shaikha Al Nowais was confirmed as the next Secretary-General of UN Tourism, delegates from 160 member nations rose to applaud. For once, a UN appointment seemed to mean something.

It should. When she takes office in January 2026, Al Nowais will become the first woman to lead the organisation in its fifty-year history and, fittingly, the first from the Gulf.

A voice with hotel mileage

Al Nowais isn’t a career diplomat with a bookshelf of white papers. She cut her teeth in the hospitality trenches as Corporate Vice-President of Rotana Hotels, no less, where room occupancy, not resolutions, decides your fate. She chairs the Abu Dhabi Chamber’s Tourism Working Group and serves on several boards, including Les Roches Hospitality Academy. In short, she’s seen what actually makes a hotel hum.

Her speech to the General Assembly carried the sort of clarity rare in UN circles.

“This is a triumph for all of us,” she told delegates. “It reflects our collective vision for a stronger, more connected and more compassionate world of tourism. Together, we represent the hopes of millions whose lives are touched by this sector.”

The crowd responded not with the usual rustle of papers but with genuine applause, a sure sign she’d struck a chord.

Five pillars and one tall order

Al Nowais laid out five priorities that will define her tenure: responsible tourism, capacity building, technology for good, innovative financing and what she called “smart governance.”
Nice words, though she knows full well they’ll be tested in a world still nursing its post-pandemic bruises.

The challenge is not merely to make tourism more sustainable, but to make it matter again, reminding governments that a thriving visitor economy can mend more than balance sheets.

Grace for the outgoing guard

In a gesture of old-world grace, she thanked outgoing chief Zurab Pololikashvili for his “vision, commitment, and role in strengthening UN Tourism’s voice and global presence.” It was a courteous bow, but also a quiet promise to do things differently, less paperwork, more purpose.

Riyadh’s moment, the region’s signal

That this appointment was sealed in Riyadh is no small symbolism. The Middle East is no longer content to play host; it’s shaping the global tourism agenda outright. Saudi Arabia’s glittering investments and the UAE’s cultural diplomacy have made the region impossible to ignore. Al Nowais’s election underlines it.

For Australia, watching from the southern hemisphere, this matters. UN Tourism sets standards that ripple into every destination brochure and sustainability code. A Secretary-General who speaks the language of both boardroom and community may be just what the sector needs.

Tourism with a heartbeat

Perhaps what sets Al Nowais apart is her tone. She speaks of tourism not as a commodity but as a connector, a reminder that behind every boarding pass is someone’s livelihood.

“Tourism,” she said in closing, “at its best, can uplift nations and unite humanity.”

Cynics may roll their eyes. But after the upheaval of recent years, the idea that travel could still be a force for good feels almost radical.

If she manages to prove it, Shaikha Al Nowais won’t just be UN Tourism’s first woman leader; she’ll be the one who gave it a heartbeat.

By Bridget Gomez – (c) 2025

Read time: 4 minutes.

About the Writer

Bridget has never been one to sit still. Of Portuguese heritage, she first trained as a nurse. She threw herself into work at the Commonwealth Veteran Affairs Repatriation Hospital, tending to old soldiers with stories almost as colourful as her own would become. It was rewarding, steady work — but wanderlust has a louder voice than routine.

So, she swapped starched uniforms for a backpack and set off on a twelve-month gallop around the globe. Along the way, she scribbled in journals, capturing the dust, the laughter, the odd missed train, and the occasional glass of wine too many. Those notebooks soon became a travel blog, her way of reliving and sharing the journeys with anyone willing to read.

Eventually, Bridget stumbled across Global Travel Media and, in her words, “the rest is history.” Now she writes with the same mix of heart and mischief that fuelled her travels.

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