UAE's Shaikha Al Nowais to become...

Emirati hospitality leader will hold Secretary-General position for 2026-2029 term

UAE hospitality leader Shaikha Al Nowais, Corporate Vice President at Rotana Hotels, has been nominated as Secretary-General of UN Tourism by the Executive Council.

If approved by the UN Tourism General Assembly, Shaikha Al Nowais will become the first woman to hold the position in the organisation’s 50-year history.

She will lead the 50-year organisation for the 2026-2029 term.

The news came from the 123rd session of the Executive Council held in Segovia, Spain, with the UN General Assembly taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 7-11 November 2025.

The General Assembly will be followed by the inaugural Saudi-launched Tourise Summit taking place in Riyadh from 11–13 November 2025, underscoring the Middle East's growing significance in shaping the global travel and tourism sector.

A UAE national, Shaikha Al Nowais has more than 16 years of experience in global hospitality. In her role at Rotana, she has overseen owner relations across the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and Turkey.

Rotana currently has a portfolio of 114 operational and 36 in the pipeline, including the first five-star hotel in Somalia and the first Edge hotel in Egypt.

Shaikha Al Nowais 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, which recently launched a Master’s Degree in Hospitality Management at the Abu Dhabi Hospitality Academy in the UAE.

The Executive Council meeting in Segovia highlighted the May 2025 World Tourism Barometer from UN Tourism, showing more than 300 million tourists travelled internationally in the first three months of 2025, up 14 million on 2024.

“Over the last eight years, UN Tourism has embraced a transformative vision,” said current Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, a position he has held for eight years..

“We have put tourism at the forefront of the global agenda to enhance its competitiveness and economic value. And we have never lost sight of our key priorities: education, investments, sustainable and rural development, women empowerment, new technologies and international expansion.”

For more information, visit www.unwto.org

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