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.

African Tourism Investment Summit 2023

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As the Marketing and Sales Director, Lee-Anne is responsible for the sales and marketing at The Singer Group, a well-known travel and hospitality company with a track record of almost 60 years in the business.

With over 20 years of experience, she focuses on business development, identifying new business opportunities and partnerships for the Group. She was recently appointed as Chairperson of FEDHASA Cape, and serves on the board of Glendale, a home for intellectually disabled adults.

Her career highlights include speaking at the International Travel Tech Conference in Tel Aviv and winning the ‘Western Cape Positive Role Model’ title in the Gender Mainstreaming Awards.

Lee-Anne has worked in various roles within the media industry, including CNBC Africa, The Property Magazine and Top Women in Business and Government.

Cornė Koch is Head of the Cape Town and Western Cape Convention Bureau at Wesgro (the official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape). She is a passionate promoter of the importance of business events for economic growth and responsible to position the Western Cape as the top destination in Africa to host a meeting.

After commencing her formal career at the South African Chamber of Commerce, she enters her career in the destination marketing sector in 2003 – 2008 as the Gauteng Tourism Authority’s Business Tourism Manger. Leaving the sector for a short stint to pursue her other passion, that of strategic communication, she took on the role of Communications Manager at the Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa before re-entering the sector in 2011 as Trade Development and Partnership Manager at Gauteng Tourism Authority.

In 2014 she relocated to Cape Town joining the Wesgro team in the Destination Marketing Organisation. Corne currently serves as a member of the Board of the International Congress and Convention Association, as well as the Cape Castle Control Board and is past Chair of the BestCities Global Alliance.