Tourism Outlook

The increasing correlation between resilience, sustainability and investments in travel and tourism

Women in Tourism – The growing opportunities for women in the Middle East tourism industry

Nick Maclean is CBRE’s Chairman & Managing Director for the Middle East Region. He was appointed in 2004 to establish a CBRE business within the Middle East with a particular emphasis on developing a platform that would service the requirements of CBRE’s international and local client bases.

He is responsible for setting and implementing the firm’s strategies for growth across the region, as well as overseeing the firm’s business across North Africa and The Levant. He provides strategic advice to governments, private offices, property investors, developers, landlords and occupiers across the region.

He is a GlobalScot; is Scotland’s Trade Envoy to the United Arab Emirates; and Chairman of the Lillian Sutton (SoC) Charitable Trust. A Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, he sits on the RICS World Governing Council, having been a Member and Chairman, of the RICS MENA Board.

Maclean is a member of the Institute of Revenue, Rating and Valuation; and of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House). He holds the Reserve Decoration and in 2017 was named by Arabian Business as one of the 100 most influential people in the UAE.

Spanning a career of 20 years in the tourism industry, Dr. Lubna Al Mazroei experience pertains in various areas of the industry, from research and development, education, policy and planning to strategies, human capital and investments.

She currently holds a strategic role as the Manager of Economic Diversification Investments at Oman Investment Authority, overseeing and leading the sovereign fund portfolio of assets and investments for the tourism sector in Oman.

She is also the chairperson for the board of trustees at Oman Tourism College and the vice chairperson for the board of directors at Oman Air.

Maher Abou Nasr has been with IHG for over 10 years. He started his career with the company as Regional Director, Finance & Business Support for our operations in the UAE and Near East Africa. He served as Director Development for Middle East and Africa, working with owners and partners across the region with a special focus on KSA.

Most recently as Head of Operations Finance for IMEA, overseeing the Middle East, Africa and South West Asian markets, he helped navigate our team and owner community through the pandemic, leading cash management initiatives and creating operational efficiencies to set the foundation for a strong recovery.

As VP Operations for Saudi Arabia, Maher Is responsible for the performance of the hotels in Saudi, driving operational excellence, building stronger owner relationships, driving greater owner returns and developing the national talent. He is also focussed on renovations and upgrading the quality of our current portfolio across the nation and driving Journey to Tomorrow, IHG’s 10-year responsible business plan, in the country.

H.E. Makram Mustafa A. Queisi assumed the role of Minister of Tourism and Antiquities in Jordan in 2022. His previous ministerial role was as Minister of Youth in 2018.

He is the holder of B.A. in Computer Science (Jordan) and Master of Arts in Diplomatic Studies (U.K).

H.E. Queisi is an experienced diplomat having represented the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan at Ambassadorial level in a number of countries including France, Portugal, Slovakia, Austria, Monaco and The Vatican. Furthermore, he acted as Jordan’s permanent representative at various international organizations including UNESCO, CTBTO, IAEA, UNIDO, UNODC, UNOV, OSCE.

H.E. Queisi’s diplomatic acumen has been recognized and appreciated by a number Heads of States through their bestowment of recognition medals such as Grand Golden Badge of Honor of Austria, Swedish Grand Officer Medal as well as numerous recognition medals from Jordan, Spain, Norway, Italy, the Netherlands, and Ukraine.