Head of Revenue Planning, Forecasting & Demand Strategy

Job Scope

Job Scope

• Lead development of Miral Destinations’ 3-year, 5-year and 10-year demand, visitation and revenue planning assumptions.
• Develop long-range strategic growth forecasts at asset, destination and portfolio level, linking visitation, yield/per cap, product mix, source market mix, channel mix and capacity assumptions.
• Translate corporate objectives into measurable long-term market growth plans and strategic demand priorities.
• Lead the annual Long Range Planning (LRP) cycle and strategic business reviews, ensuring assumptions are documented, challenged and aligned across Finance, Strategy, Trade, Marketing, investment teams.
• Develop strategic recommendations on future attractions, destination experiences, events, channels and market development opportunities.
• Assess implications of major infrastructure, airline expansion, hotel supply, visa policy, destination development and competitive investments on medium- and long-term demand.
• Own Miral’s long-range forecasting methodology, governance and model assumptions across visitation, revenue, market mix and destination demand.
• Build integrated demand forecasting models spanning attendance, revenue, air connectivity, hotel supply, source market demand, seasonality and macroeconomic variables.
• Develop baseline, upside and downside scenarios over 3-, 5- and 10-year horizons, including sensitivities for macroeconomic, geopolitical, competitive and operational variables.
• Perform sensitivity analysis on airline capacity, tourism arrivals, exchange rates, source market conditions, competitive openings, major events, weather, seasonality and destination capacity.
• Establish a consistent scenario planning framework to support executive trade-off decisions, investment prioritization and portfolio risk management.
• Evaluate external shocks and emerging demand signals, and translate them into revised planning assumptions and leadership recommendations.
• Lead source market prioritization and strategic market assessment using demand potential, accessibility, historical performance, market economics, conversion and growth indicators.
• Monitor global tourism, aviation, hospitality, attractions and leisure trends to identify future growth opportunities and strategic threats.
• Benchmark demand planning and growth practices against leading global attractions, integrated resorts, airlines and ticketed-entertainment operators.
• Maintain strategic intelligence on future competitive openings, destination investments, tourism policy changes and shifts in traveller behaviour.
• Produce executive thought leadership reports on emerging markets, demand shifts, growth risks and long-term commercial opportunities.
• Create market-entry, market-development and market-recovery plans for priority international and domestic segments.
• Evaluate source market attractiveness using demand, accessibility, profitability, airline connectivity, travel cost, seasonality and competitive indicators.
• Analyse aviation connectivity and airline capacity developments that influence Yas Island and Miral Destinations visitation.
• Assess potential impact of new routes, increased flight frequencies, airport connectivity and destination access improvements on long-term visitation.
• Assess strategic partnership opportunities with airlines, airports, tourism authorities, hotels and destination partners to unlock incremental demand.
• Build long-term source market growth forecasts and penetration strategies, aligned with Trade, Marketing and Tourism stakeholders.
• Provide strategic input into destination-wide demand planning by integrating aviation, accommodation, attraction and event demand signals.
• Lead commercial demand assessment for future attractions, destination experiences, events, product concepts and portfolio expansion opportunities.
• Develop feasibility studies, commercial business cases and demand forecasts to support investment approvals and strategic decision making.
• Evaluate expected visitation, revenue potential, pricing power, cannibalization, capacity constraints, seasonality, payback and strategic fit for new developments.
• Assess strategic partnerships, acquisitions, expansions and new markets through demand risk and return analysis.
• Support executive committees, investment reviews and Board discussions with clear assumptions, scenarios, risks and recommendations.
• Partner with MX/HQ , Finance and Strategy to ensure investment cases are commercially grounded, analytically robust and aligned with long-term portfolio priorities
• Assess long-term capacity constraints across attractions, guest flows, operating calendars, destination infrastructure and commercial demand patterns.
• Model future attendance requirements, peak-day pressure, shoulder-period opportunities and capacity scenarios to support growth planning.
• Evaluate implications of future growth on guest experience, operating readiness, staffing requirements, asset utilization and revenue potential.
• Support master planning and destination planning initiatives through demand forecasts and capacity assumptions.
• Recommend strategic actions to balance demand, capacity, guest value and profitability across the portfolio.
• Identify infrastructure, experience or commercial requirements needed to support sustainable long-term visitation growth
• Prepare Board-level strategic planning documents, executive decision papers and long-range outlook reviews.
• Deliver quarterly long-range demand outlook reviews, highlighting material changes in assumptions, risks, opportunities and recommended actions.
• Create clear decision frameworks that translate modelling, market intelligence and scenario analysis into executive choices.
• Facilitate cross-functional planning forums to align assumptions across Finance, Strategy, Trade, Marketing, Digital, Operations, Loyalty, Ticketing and external partners.
• Establish governance for LRP assumptions, model version control, scenario approval, source market assumptions and post-cycle learning.
• Act as a strategic thought partner to senior leadership on long-term growth, market prioritization, investment readiness and demand risk management.

Essential

• Bachelor or Master’s degree in Business, Economics, Finance, Statistics, Industrial Engineering, Operations Research, Aviation Management, Tourism Economics, Business Strategy or another quantitative discipline.
• Proven track record in long-range forecasting, strategic planning, market strategy, corporate strategy, aviation/network planning, tourism economics, destination planning or management consulting.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with experience preparing strategic documents and presenting to C-suite and Board-level audiences with clear decision recommendations, trade-offs and financial implications.
• Advanced analytical skills including Excel, Power BI, and forecasting / modelling tools;
• exposure to Python, Tableau, cloud data platforms or AI-enabled forecasting tools is advantageous.