He retires after three years due to family problems
RR | Mexico City | August 16, 2024
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RELATED TOPICS: Ahmed Al-Khateeb, British, Felipe Calderon, Gloria Guevara Manzo, IAG, Iberia, Julia Simpson, Mexico City, Riyadh Air, Tony Blair, Wttc
After three years at the head of Saudi Arabia’s tourism office, Gloria Guevara Manzo has left her post. Guevara was the main advisor to Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al Khateeb, in the process of transforming the country’s tourism industry, but for family reasons she left the post.
During Guevara’s administration, Saudi Arabia made progress in terms of tourism, as international visitors rose from 3.5 million to 27 million in 2023; it gave a boost to issuing countries, such as China and India; 320,000 new Hotel rooms will be opened by 2030; a new national airline, Riyadh Air, was created, which will begin operating next year. In addition, the two mega projects, such as the Red Sea and the Diriyah Gate.
Guevara’s career began at Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism under President Felipe Calderón, after her work as general manager of Sabre in Mexico. She headed Mexico’s Tourism Promotion Council and was head of tourism, and later served as president of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) before leaving for Saudi Arabia.
Guevara had announced his retirement in a LinkedIn post in June, saying Saudi Arabia has the potential to become one of the world’s top five destinations.
As reported by REPORTUR.mxIn May 2021, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) announced changes to its structure, including the departure of Guevara Manzo as president and CEO. (An IAG executive replaces Guevara as head of the WTTC).
She was replaced by Julia Simpson, who had served on the boards of British Airways and Iberia and on the executive committee of International Airlines Group (IAG). She previously worked in the UK government as a direct advisor to Prime Minister Tony Blair.
