VOIWORLD
Meet Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais the first Emirati woman nominated for a UNWTO leadership role. She has all that one can ask for being an excellent leader with the intellect and style, and the one who leads with an example.
She is a figure to know about as she is the prominent among the next generation of Emirati women to take on international roles.
Recently, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), also known as UN Tourism, revealed that the UAE presented Shaikha for the position of Secretary-General of UN Tourism from 2026 to 2029. Shaikha is the first Emirati woman to be nominated for the post.
Shaikha Nasser has proven her skills practically with 15 years of managerial excellence. Whether it is the boardroom meetings or giving interviews, she operates with ease.
Shaikha Nasser studied at the renowned Zayed University in Dubai earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Sciences and Finance in 2006. She currently holds the position of Corporate Vice President at Rotana Hotels
She is a distinguished leader in global tourism and hospitality with on the ground experience in corporate governance, audit, sustainability, and economic development.
Voice of India World-India’s first global news platform- caught up with Shaikha Al Nowais in this exclusive interaction.
VOIWORLD: As a UN tourism candidate your vision is to lead UN Tourism in promoting responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible tourism that stimulates economic growth and enriches global communities. What are your areas of focus going to be?
Shaikha Nasser: Five different pillars are going to be my area of focus. Beginning with governance and transparency followed by sustainability. It is crucial in some many ways like food waste management, textile recycling, utility management and even measures like monitoring electricity and water and reducing their consumption. For example, any destination we operate in, we try to engage and source from local established industries as much as we can. This way we give back to MSMEs in and around the area. We also try to contribute to governance and transparency in manpower and employment, training and development, digital transformation, infrastructure, digital transformation.
VOIWORLD: Where do you see India’s role in world tourism and how can India present as an example and blueprint for sustainable tourism economy?
Shaikha Nasser: I have been reading a lot about India and the role India has played in tourism sector, especially sustainable tourism, destination management and a lot of things that have been done and good practices which can be implemented on a wider scale. India has done things that are interesting, like they have done things around rural, they try are creating policies around rural areas and villages and tourist areas that can be developed around them. Also creating right infra will allow tourists to go where they are needed. Indian offers many cultural opportunities as compared to many countries. Tourists are looking for stories, to be immersed in cultures. Every part of India has a different culture; this needs to be promoted and that needs to be promoted in different ways.
VOIWORLD: But countries like India and many other developing countries in Africa have a priority of having jobs first? Here the people having food is priority. Being sustainable and environment friendly is second. How can this be solved?
Shaikha Nasser: By imparting training, and through basic knowledge. They have to have basic training, and you have to see the potential. It Is all about the approach and basic training. We are second largest industry in terms of employment; our industry is people oriented. Every one out of 10 jobs go to tourism industry. Sustainability and livelihoods can go side by side
VOIWORLD: In governance and sustainability, what are the new ideas that can be help tourism implemented in moving in this direction?
Shaikha Nasser: A lot of things can happen. When you see something works out very well, you want to work on a bigger scale. Like textile recycling that is the textile recycled from bed sheets, uniforms, towels etc. These examples can be used by many communities rather that can be wasted. It is an example a lot can be given to community and environment. Lot of measures that are using digital transformation, technologies that can help.
VOIWORLD: Covid is considered as a catastrophe that was for tourism sector. How did you help tourism sector during Covid?
Shaikha Nasser: One of the things we manged to do better than any hotel chain is that we reached out to organisations, sectors that were more resilient during covid including logistical facilities, field hospitals etc. So instead of laying off our people we managed to repurpose or redeploy them. We managed to reduce our payroll costs, that brought positive results. Thinking out of the box something we can bring to UN tourism as an organisation, we don’t want to do things that are repetitive but those that can bring results
VOIWORLD: What are priorities going to be in UNWTO leadership role?
Shaikha Nasser: UAE govt has pledged to give me $15 mn of funds. This will allow me to execute programmes. Currently 80 percent of funds are spent on salary and payrolls, we are not left with funds for existing programme. This will allow me to not only deliver. While elected I want to make difference, and I want to see change.
