Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism announces the appointment of Gloria Guevera Manzo, most recently CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), to the position of chief special advisor to Ahmed Al Khateeb, the minister of tourism.

As a special advisor to the minister of tourism, Guevera will draw on more than 25 years of public and private tourism sector experience to help facilitate international collaborations, develop human capital and contribute to the delivery of Saudi’s ambitious, large-scale tourism investments under Vision 2030.

Ahmed Al Khateeb welcomed the appointment, saying: “Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry has incredible potential and is already supporting economic growth and job creation across the kingdom, in line with Vision 2030 and the leadership of HM King Salman and HRH the Crown Prince.

“We have a strong national heritage and thousands of unique stories to be told. Gloria brings international expertise and a tremendous global network from her time representing the global tourism and travel sector as the CEO of WTTC and direct experience with evolving a nascent tourism industry from her time as Secretary of Tourism in Mexico, that will help us as our large-scale investment in tourism moves to the next level.”

Guevara said: “I want to be part of the transformation and make the vision of Saudi Arabia as a leading tourism destination a reality. Tourism is the most promising sector in Saudi Arabia; this has been evident since 2019 when the Kingdom first opened for international visitors and became the fastest growing and best performer in Travel and Tourism on a global scale. In 2020, the Saudi leadership has done an incredible job managing the COVID-19 crisis and building its domestic tourism while continuing to advocate for global industry alignment and the recovery, and I am confident that my many years of expertise can help accelerate the next phase of development.”