Opportunities for Heritage Fostering Innovation, Conservation and Sustainability

Prof. Dr. Heba Aziz is the UNESCO chair Professor for World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Management in the Arab region at the German University of Technology in Oman—GUtech, director of the MBA programme and advisor to the Chairman. She also hold the position Emeritus Professor at Alexandria University Egypt and UNESCO expert.  Prof. Aziz was seconded from her current position to be the director of the Arab Regional Center for World Heritage in Bahrain. She previously held the position of Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics,  an advisor to the government of the Sultanate of Oman and the Kingdom of Bahrain on tourism development and heritage management, as well as a Director of Research and Innovation at the Jumeirah Group, UAE.

Her research interests include sustainable development, heritage, cultural tourism, narratives and interpretation, heritage innovation, and digitalization of heritage and tourism. She has a large number of published and peer-reviewed academic articles and research. She obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Surrey, England, her master's degree from the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, and her bachelor's degree from the University of Alexandria.

Dr. Osman Ahmed El-Said is an Associate Professor and the former Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at the German University of Technology in Oman. He also served as the co-chairholder of the UNESCO Chair for World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Management in the Arab Region. He also holds the position of a Hospitality Professor at Alexandria University, Egypt. Dr. Osman earned a Bachelor of Science in Tourism and Hospitality in 2002, a Master of Science in Service Quality Management in 2008, and a PhD in Innovation Management in 2011. He has published extensively in leading Service, Tourism, and Hospitality journals (e.g., IJHM, JST, JTR, IJCHM, TMP, SAMP, SIJ). His research interests include sustainable tourism and heritage management, crisis-driven innovation, sustainability, CSR, hospitality management, and technology adoption.

Dr. Dawood Sulaiman Al Jahwari, PhD, CHE, is an Assistant Professor and the Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at the German University of Technology in Oman. Dr. Dawood earned a bachelor's in hospitality management from Toulouse University, a master's in business administration from Strathclyde University, A PhD in Hospitality and Tourism Management from the University of South Carolina, USA.  Dr. Dawood, has around 14 years of teaching experience in tourism and hospitality related programs in the USA and Oman. Besides, he has more than 20 years of industrial experience in various supervisory and managerial levels in hospitality and tourism related areas. His research interests include tourism sustainability, tourists’ behavior, marketing, culture and heritage, tour guiding, and smart tourism.

Khansa Mokdad is a Cultural Heritage Specialist and consultant with over seven years of experience in World Heritage across the Arab States region. Trained as an architect, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the University of Bahrain. She previously served as a Programme Officer and Technical Assistance Officer at the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH), a UNESCO Category 2 Centre based in Bahrain, where she developed and implemented capacity-building programmes, coordinated international and regional heritage events, and contributed to research, publications and exhibitions. In these roles, she also coordinated field missions, supported technical assistance projects and advanced knowledge‑sharing through editorial and translation work in Arabic and English. Her professional and research interests include cultural heritage management, sustainable development, and the use of digital technologies for heritage documentation and dissemination.