Gloria Guevara Manzo, one of the most experienced and respected tourism leaders in the world, has been officially presented by the Mexican Government as a candidate to become the next Secretary-General of UN Tourism, formerly known as UNWTO.

UN Tourism is a specialised agency of the United Nations that focuses on promoting responsible, sustainable and accessible tourism for all.

Ms. Guevara, who was previously Minister of Tourism for Mexico and who has just completed her term as Senior Special Advisor to the Minister of Tourism in Saudi Arabia, thanked the Government of Mexico for the honour of being nominated. If successful, she would take up the post as Secretary-General for the period 2026 – 2029.

A leader with over 35 years of travel and tourism as well as high-level government and Ministerial experience, Gloria Guevara would bring significant credentials to the Office of the Secretariat if elected.

Commenting on her official nomination, Gloria Guevara said:
“Mexico has shown that it has capable women and President Claudia Sheinbaum, as the first female President of Mexico, is a great inspiration for many women in the world. I’d like to thank the Government of Mexico for their support, and trust in me.”

Gloria Guevara is a former G20 Minister, who has also worked closely with G7 countries on travel and tourism sector issues; she is respected worldwide for her leadership role with Developing Countries while serving as President of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC); and has played a significant part in growing tourism partnerships between Saudi Arabia and other countries.

It is common UN protocol for the role of Secretary-General to be rotated to a different Continent member at each election. UN Tourism also has an opportunity to make history by appointing its first female leader, with 50% of jobs in the tourism sector held by women.

Commenting on her nomination to be Secretary-General, Ms. Guevara said:
“My candidacy’s mission is clear – to seek to strengthen UN Tourism and its members at the global level; to ensure that tourism has a relevant place during decision-making whether at global, regional or local level; to advance the sustainability agenda; to strengthen connectivity worldwide; and to drive innovation, entrepreneurship and investment.”

Ms. Guevara continued:
“The expertise I have gained over the last four decades can help all member states involved in UN Tourism, as well as the organisation itself. I have a truly global perspective and would help every country strengthen its tourism presence on the world stage.”

Ms. Guevara’s successful reputation has been built on years of service to both the public and private sectors around the world.

Between 2021 and 2024, she served as Senior Special Advisor to the Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, where she promoted the opening and transformation of the country within the framework of Vision 2030 to develop tourism. Saudi Arabia achieved the goal of 100 million domestic and foreign tourists, years before the original, expected timeframe.

Ms. Guevara became the first woman and first Latina to lead the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) as President and CEO. The Council, which counts over 200 global CEOs as its members, represents the global travel and tourism private sector, an industry that generates 10 percent of global GDP and accounts for 330 million jobs or one in 10 worldwide.

Under her management, the WTTC led the agenda of the global tourism industry and private sector during the most difficult crisis in history, the Covid19 pandemic. It hosted important events such as the first Global Forum on Environment and Climate Action in travel and tourism in New York, Regional Leaders’ Forums and WTTC Global Summits in Spain and Argentina, as well as that held in 2021 in Cancun, which was the first post-pandemic international event with global leaders from more than 60 nations, and whose success provided guidance to the opening of the sector. The healthcare protocols implemented in Cancun became a worldwide case study.

The Global Summit unveiled the launch of the Cancun Women in Global Travel Initiative, which decisively promoted the empowerment of women in the sector worldwide. Guevara was the first woman to receive the CNET Leadership Award.

In March 2010 she was appointed Secretary of Tourism of the Federal Government in Mexico. Under her leadership, the National Agreement for Tourism was created in 2011, and for the first time “the importance of travel and tourism” was included in the G20 Leaders’ Declaration, held in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur.

Much of Gloria Guevara’s professional development has been in the private sector. She was CEO of Sabre Mexico, held various international positions and has served on the Boards of companies such as HSBC Mexico, American Express GBT, Grupo Arsenale and Playa Hotels & Resorts.

She was also Special Advisor on Government Affairs at Harvard University’s School of Public Health and serves on the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Agenda for the Future of Travel and Tourism Council.

Gloria Guevara holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Universidad Anáhuac and an MBA from Kellogg School of Business, Northwestern University. She has received several awards, including the Good Neighbor Award from the US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce. She was also recognized as one of the most influential women in Mexico by CNN, Forbes and Expansión.