As Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) destinations compete aggressively for global travellers, Stolz explains why understanding local ecosystems is critical for long-term growth.
As tourism grows and becomes increasingly shaped by geopolitics, shifting traveller expectations, and infrastructure expansion, credibility comes from strategic depth and real-world exposure. Few embody this combination as strongly as Richard Stolz.
As Partner in the Tourism, Travel & Leisure practice at Roland Berger in Dubai, Stolz has spent more than 15 years advising governments, investors, and leading travel and hospitality players on strategy, growth, market entry, and large-scale transformation. His work spans tourism, aviation, hospitality, transport, entertainment, and adjacent service industries, which gives him a holistic view of how destinations and ecosystems evolve.
Beyond consulting, Stolz also contributes commentary and analysis to leading media platforms, making him a regular voice in global industry discourse. His perspectives are sought after because they provide clarity on how digitalisation, regional competition, and demand patterns affect tourism value chains.
Stolz has visited 117 countries and worked across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe, hence he brings first-hand insight into how destinations compete and differentiate in practice. This insight, along with on-the-ground exposure, has made him a trusted voice as one of the judges at the TDM Travel Trade Excellence Awards 2026 - Middle East.
Competitiveness, rising complexity in the Middle East
Stolz emphasises that destination success is built on the integration of traveller touchpoints and not on isolated strengths.
For Stolz, tourism competitiveness is a system that encompasses factors such as airport arrivals, transport connectivity, hotels, dining, cultural offerings, and leisure experiences — not a single product.
Even strong individual components cannot compensate for gaps in infrastructure or service continuity, hence the importance of coordination amongst public and private stakeholders.
As he observed the Middle East tourism landscape, Stolz pointed out a significant transformation in the GCC. He noted the competition between destinations that has intensified dramatically over the past decade. Markets that previously developed at different paces are now converging, with countries heavily investing in tourism infrastructure and experience-led development.
This has shifted the competitive focus beyond traditional luxury positioning, Stolz noted. Now, destinations put in effort to attract a broader range of travellers by expanding into sports tourism, entertainment, cultural programming, and business events.
At the same time, he highlighted that international hospitality brands face a more complex entry environment than before. In the current landscape, the success of brands depends on understanding regulatory structures, cultural context, and local operating ecosystems.
An expert lens
Stolz is a strong advocate for phased and structured tourism development, particularly in rapidly expanding destinations. He cautions against over-accelerated capacity building that outpaces infrastructure readiness or demand maturity.
“If you create a new destination, you make sure the travellers that come in have a full 360 experience in terms of good transport, good offerings, good service, and good restaurants. Once you’ve succeeded commercially on a small property, on a small-scale development, you gradually expand,” he advised tourism boards and private sector players. "It's very important not to grab things, to go too big and create too much capacity.”
He further underscored that effective tourism governance requires adaptability, especially in responding to economic volatility or external shocks through policy support and coordination.
This combination of strategic expertise, global exposure, and practical industry understanding positions Stolz as a key voice in evaluating tourism excellence.
As a judge for the TDM Travel Trade Excellence Awards 2026 - Middle East, he brings a perspective grounded in what truly drives destination competitiveness and business performance. For Stolz, the nominees who have the ability to deliver consistent value across the traveller journey and the tourism ecosystem are those who will stand out.
