Joshua Ryan-Saha

Joshua Ryan-Saha

Director of Tourism, Travel and Festivals at EFI

Joshua Ryan-Saha is Director of Tourism, Travel and Festivals at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, University of Edinburgh. With the support of Scottish Enterprise he established Traveltech for Scotland to cement our position as a European leader in travel technology innovation, delivering £20m+ of inward investment.

He serves on Scotland's Tourism and Hospitality Industry Leadership Group, advising on data, AI and technology transformation. Mr. Ryan-Saha has established strategic partnerships with global leaders including Booking.com, Hilton, Marriott, Skyscanner and TravelPerk, building a network of over 250 traveltech companies worldwide.

In 2024, he delivered AI and tourism innovation workshops to more than 400 industry professionals across Europe, America and Asia, advising destinations on the use of AI. He regularly represents Scotland at international forums, including with the American Hotel and Lodging Association and international traveltech investors.

Previously, Mr. Ryan-Saha led national data science initiatives at The Data Lab and directed innovation programmes at Nesta, including the Longitude Prize featured on BBC Horizon. His earlier career included roles managing constitutional reform and reconciliation projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina, working with UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration, and the Public International Law & Policy Group