Bangladeshi tourism professional Mohammad Zahirul Islam, popularly known as Dalton Zahir, has been appointed Asia ambassador by the International Tourism Film Festival Committee (CIFFT), an organisation associated with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism).
The appointment was announced in Vienna, Austria, on October 6, according to information provided by the organisation.
In his new role, Zahir will work to promote international tourism film competitions across Asia, encourage participation by regional filmmakers and tourism organisations, and strengthen collaboration among tourism authorities, media professionals and creative agencies.
CIFFT Director Alexander V. Kamel said the appointment was part of an initiative to expand the organisation’s presence in Asia and build closer ties with professionals involved in producing and promoting tourism films.
Zahir will also help connect tourism stakeholders across the region with CIFFT’s international programmes and provide information to organisations and filmmakers interested in submitting tourism promotional films for international competitions.
With more than 25 years of professional experience in tourism, hospitality, media and multinational corporations, Zahir has held senior positions in Bangladesh’s hospitality industry, including head of sales and marketing at the BRAC Hotel Group under BRAC Services Limited.
His previous professional experience includes roles at Rose View Hotel, Grand Sultan Tea Resort and Golf, Ocean Paradise and Lakeshore Hotel. He has also been associated with international technology and media companies, including Motorola, Apple, Philips and Fujifilm.
Beyond the corporate sector, Zahir is the founder and chief executive of tourism and media initiatives such as Travelerkey, Europekey, Traveller Times and Welcome Bangladesh. He has also authored five books on literature, poetry, social issues and contemporary topics.
He is associated with several tourism and professional organisations, including the Bangladesh Tourism Developers Association, Skal International and the Pacific Asia Travel Association.
Established in 1989 and headquartered in Vienna, CIFFT brings together international tourism and commercial film festivals to recognise audiovisual productions promoting destinations, tourism products and services.
Its International Tourism Film Awards programme recognises tourism promotional films through a network of participating festivals worldwide. Categories cover the promotion of cities, regions and countries, as well as tourism products and services.
Through his new appointment, Zahir is expected to encourage greater participation from Asian countries and help showcase the region’s tourism destinations to international audiences.
The initiative also aims to strengthen cooperation between tourism organisations and filmmakers at a time when audiovisual storytelling has become an important tool for destination marketing.