Today's Edition
SARA ALZAABI (DUBAI)
In her first public address in the UAE as UN Tourism Secretary-General, Shaikha Al Nowais called for a people-first, inclusive and sustainable approach to global tourism.
The first woman and the first Emirati to lead the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Al Nowais took the stage on the second day of the World Governments Summit and outlined a clear vision: a future in which communities sit at the heart of the global tourism agenda.
She pointed to the UAE as a model for this human-centred approach to tourism — one where people from around the world find common ground and thrive together in harmony.
“The UAE is home to more than 200 nationalities living and working side by side. Different languages, different traditions, one shared society,” she said. “That is the future we want: tourism that brings people together, tourism that creates opportunity, tourism that strengthens belonging.”
Al Nowais stressed that communities would be central to her mandate as secretary-general. “People first, communities first — especially those that have not been seen for too long,” she said. “Because when communities are included, value follows: job skills grow, small businesses emerge, confidence builds, and growth lasts.”
She illustrated this approach with an example from Guatemala, where UN Tourism supported a nationwide rethink of tourism development. “The ambition was clear: growth had to work for everyone. We engaged more than 2,000 people across communities, indigenous authorities, the private sector, academia, and the government.”
The outcome reinforced that inclusive tourism is the way forward. “For the first time, indigenous communities were not treated as beneficiaries; they were treated as partners, as co-designers of the future.”
The challenge now is to scale such models globally. “Our task is not to admire these examples,” Al Nowais said. “It is to replicate them, to scale them, to make them normal.”
Addressing climate action, she emphasised that sustainability must be foundational to tourism development.
“Sustainability will not sit on the side; it will be the foundation,” she said, noting that tourism must also address inequality and resilience. “Every strategy must be stress-tested. Every destination must be prepared.”
In closing, she reflected on the sector’s growing responsibility. “From 222 million international arrivals in 1975 to around 1.5 billion today, tourism is heading towards 2 billion by 2030,” she said. “That is not just volume; that is responsibility.”
She ended with a call to action ahead of 2027, the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism: “If we put people first, tourism will deliver for economies, yes, but more importantly, for communities.”
