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More than 100 tourism sector stakeholders gather for RAKTDA's 'Beyond a Journey' Workshop
Ras Al Khaimah - UAE - Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), which develops the emirate's tourism infrastructure and drives its domestic and overseas promotions, gathered close to 100 tourism stakeholders for a destination workshop designed to increase collaboration and alignment of the emirate's promotional activities.
Hosted by the Rixos Bab Al Bahr, the five-star resort on the pristine white sands of Ras Al Khaimah's tranquil Marjan Island, the event attracted industry partners, hoteliers, destination management companies and government entities from across Ras Al Khaimah and the wider UAE. The workshop follows the tourism body launching its new brand identity, Beyond a Journey, earlier this year.
"Over the past 12 months RAKTDA has developed and evolved various aspects of our activities and branding to ensure that we are promoting the destination of Ras Al Khaimah in key source and emerging markets, while simultaneously supporting the efforts of our tourism partners. These efforts have helped establish the emirate as the fastest growing tourism destination in the GCC," said Haitham Mattar, CEO of the Ras Al Khaimah TDA.
"The Beyond a Journey workshop is an incredibly important activity for RAKTDA in terms of sharing our vision for the destination with stakeholders and encouraging a cohesive, aligned approach to attract a healthy portfolio of visitors from various local, regional and international markets. We can achieve more as a united destination than as an assortment of individuals."
The workshop provided attendees with updates on RAKTDA's marketing and communications activities at home and abroad, including recent partnerships with travel trade entities in key European and Asian source markets. Additional details were shared on the strategy to attract one million visitors to the emirate by the end of 2018.
"We are in the process of collating our half year statistics and our projections show significant promise for the overall visitor numbers this year," Mattar added. "Based on initial results for the first six months of this year and the industry's collective efforts to optimise summer performance, we anticipate further growth in 2016."
A key focus of the workshop centered around digital messaging - a strategic investment area for RAKTDA and a core pillar of its strategy to encourage the support, alignment and active participation of all its tourism sector partners.
The workshop follows the recent announcement that 'Beyond a Journey', Ras Al Khaimah's brand new destination video, has been named as the Bronze Winner in the 37th Annual Telly Awards. The video was selected from over 13,000 entries from 50 countries by a prestigious judging panel of over 500 accomplished industry professionals.
Attendees gained insights into the correct usage of social media in the effective communication of the destination and its offers through sessions dedicated to social media and TripAdvisor optimisation.
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About Ras Al Khaimah
One of the world's fastest growing tourism destinations, Ras Al Khaimah boasts a rich culture and long-standing history dating back 7,000 years. The Emirate boasts an array of archaeological sites and breathtaking natural vistas, from golden sand beaches, awe-inspiring terracotta dunes and a green belt of date palms to Jebel Jais, the highest mountain in the UAE.
To learn more about Ras Al Khaimah, visit us at:
· www.facebook.com/visitrasalkhaimah
· www.youtube.com/visitrasalkhaimah
· https://twitter.com/raktourism
About Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (TDA)
The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (TDA) was established in May 2011 under the government of Ras Al Khaimah. In order to achieve target growth of one million visitors by the end of 2018, the authority aims to develop the emirate's tourism infrastructure and establish Ras Al Khaimah as a world-class destination for leisure and business travel, creating sustainable investment opportunities and enhancing the quality of life for its residents. In order to achieve its goals, the Ras Al Khaimah TDA has a government mandate to license, regulate and monitor the emirate's tourism and hospitality industry.
Follow Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority on twitter: @RAKTourism
For further information, please contact:
The MCS Action PR team
+971 (4) 390 2960
RAKTDA@actionprgroup.com
Neda Carrillo
Director of Corporate Communications & Public Relations
Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority
mediarelations@raktda.com
© Press Release 2016
