Originally from the Seychelles, Elcia Grandcourt joined the World Tourism Organization, a United Nations specialised Agency for Tourism, in 2013 as Director of the Regional Department for Africa.
Grandcourt began her tourism career studying Hotel Management in Singapore at the Singapore Hotel Association and Education Centre. Thereafter, she occupied various positions in operations, reservations and sales, mainly in hotels, including leading international brands such as Le Meridien and Hilton Worldwide Resorts.
She was part of the rebranding team when Hilton Worldwide Resorts took over the management of the then Northolme hotel in Seychelles. She worked with the Seychelles national airline and destination management companies before joining the public sector to Seychelles Tourism Board as deputy CEO before being promoted to Chief Executive Officer, a position she occupied prior to joining UNWTO.