Leadership

With more than three decades of experience across the tourism and hospitality sectors, Safina is guided by leadership that combines extensive industry experience, academic excellence, international exposure, and a strong commitment to sustainable tourism development.

At the helm of Safina is our Managing Director, Ambassador Dr. Moh’d Juma Abdalla, whose career reflects a distinguished blend of tourism expertise, academic scholarship, executive leadership, and public service.

Dr. Abdalla began his career in the hospitality industry in 1996, before gaining extensive practical experience as an English- and French-speaking tour guide with several leading tourism companies in Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania. These formative experiences provided him with a first-hand understanding of the tourism value chain, destination management, hospitality operations, and the evolving needs of international travellers.

He holds a PhD in Tourism Management and is an accomplished scholar and active researcher whose work focuses on contemporary issues in tourism and hospitality. His research has been published in internationally recognised peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, Current Issues in Tourism, Tourism Management Perspectives, and the International Journal of Tourism Research, among others.

In addition to his academic and professional accomplishments, Dr. Abdalla served as the United Republic of Tanzania’s Ambassador accredited to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, bringing a valuable international perspective to his leadership and professional engagements.

His scholarly contributions extend beyond academia, addressing practical challenges and emerging issues within the tourism sector. His research on informal actors in tourism, for example, has contributed to greater awareness among government institutions, industry stakeholders, and the wider public regarding the implications of informality within tourism and its broader impact on destination development and governance.