Basmah Al-Mayman is the Middle East regional director at the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and the first national from a Gulf Cooperation Council country to become director of that department since the agency was established more than three decades ago. She is also the first woman to lead the Middle East region in the UNWTO’s history.
Forbes Middle East published a 2020 “power list” ranking 100 businesswomen who are at the top of their game, with Al-Mayman ranking 13th and the only woman representing tourism in the Arab world.
Forbes said its list was built through nominations and in-depth research based on criteria including the size of the businesses headed by the 100 women, “their accomplishments over the last year, the initiatives they champion, and their overall work experience.”
She obtained her bachelor’s degree in English literature and linguistics from King Saud University, and an MBA from Al-Faisal University.
She is a founding member of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) and later became a member of the board of directors.
She has held many positions and pioneering roles. She was the only Arab founding member of the UNWTO's Program and Budget Committee, which sets the agency's work and that of its executive council. From 2013 she was manager of the international organizations and committee department at the SCTH, and continues to be the official Saudi focal point for the UNWTO and other international organizations.
Al-Mayman was appointed to her UNWTO position in 2018, beating hundreds of applicants from all over the world to get the job.
She is on Twitter as @Basmah_Aziz.