The Saudi Arabia ministry of tourism has announced the appointment of Gloria Guevara to the position of chief special advisor to Ahmed Al Khateeb, the minister of tourism.

Guevara was most recently chief executive of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

As a special advisor to the minister, she 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 the ambitious, large-scale tourism investments under Vision 2030.

Al Khateeb welcomed the appointment, and said: “Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry has incredible potential and is already supporting economic growth and job creation across the kingdom.

“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 chief executive 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.”

Saudi Arabia has achieved accelerated progress in a nascent industry, taking a leading role in the revival of the tourism sector after Covid-19 through its G20 presidency.

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.”