Bahrain has submitted its bid for the candidacy of Sheikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, to hold the position of Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
Bahrain’s bid for Sheikha Mai’s candidacy for such a prestigious position reflects her numerous achievements in sustainable tourism and in strengthening the relationship between tourism and culture to achieve prosperity and development in various countries.
In 2017, and in recognition of her outstanding efforts, UNWTO appointed her as Special Ambassador of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.
Sheikha Mai’s candidacy for the position of UNWTO Secretary-General comes as the tourism sector is going through major difficulties caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic that has left tremendous effects on the aviation and hospitality industry. The UNWTO is expected to lead global efforts for the recovery of the sector.
Since 2008, she has held several official positions, including Assistant Undersecretary for Culture and National Heritage (2002-2004) and (2005-2008), Minister of Culture and Information (2008-2010) and Minister of Culture (2010-2015).
She is currently the President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage.