An Emirati leader is looking to replicate the UAE's successful tourism model in other parts of the world. Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais, Secretary-General-Elect of UN Tourism, emphasised that many countries could benefit from the UAE's experience.

“What the UAE and Dubai have been able to achieve over the years is unmatched,” she said.“One of the areas that I would like to focus on is knowledge exchange and transfer. There's a lot of things that happen in UAE that other developing nations can learn from.”

Shaikha Nasser, who brings over 16 years of leadership experience in hospitality, currently serves as Corporate Vice President of Rotana Hotel Management Corporation. A prominent figure in the UAE's tourism sector, she made history in May when she became the first woman and first Emirati to be elected as Secretary-General of UN Tourism, pending ratification in November.

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On Monday, Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais spoke at the Future Hospitality Summit at Madinat Jumeirah, a three-day event bringing together the world's top hospitality investment decision-makers to share insights and explore new partnerships.

During her address, she outlined her leadership vision for the next three years.“I will be focused on five pillars," she said.“My primary priority is sustainability and responsibility planning. Second is capacity building, education and training. Third is building infrastructure. Number four is digital transformation and smart tourism. Fifth, which is very important is governance, transparency, and collaboration."

Sustainability will be at the core of her mandate, balancing development with environmental protection. However, she said that it would be difficult for the private sector to make strides in sustainability without the government's support. She cited Rotana's hotel project on Sadiyaat Island, in which the government mandated that it be 30 metres away from the ocean to protect the development.

“We were asked to stop construction between April and June at certain times during the week because we were not supposed to disturb the turtle nesting season,” she said.“So there are a lot of examples that have been implemented by developers because of government regulations when it comes to the environment. We need to make sure that it continues.”

Shaikha Nasser also emphasised engaging local communities across five regions - Africa, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East.“It's very important for us to engage the community in every shape or form,” she said.“No one can represent the culture or heritage better than nationals from their own countries.”

She gave the example of Cabo Verde in Africa, where the government is subsidising housing for youngst people so they remain in the country and share its heritage with visitors.

On Monday, the UAE hosted a high-level ministerial roundtable meeting with more than 20 African nations, to launch new investment mapping to strengthen partnerships in tourism, aviation, logistics, infrastructure and digital transformation. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the UAE-Africa Tourism Investment Summit 2025.

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