Ras Al Khaimah, UAE : Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) today inaugurated the first edition of the Belgian Travel Summit (BTS) taking place until the 1st June in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. The four-day summit is the first joint congress of the Belgian trade unions of travel agencies at a national Belgium level and witnessed the attendance of the Association of Flemish Travel Agencies (VVR) and the French speaking Union Professionnelle des Agences de Voyages (UPAV).                                

The summit is hosting a series of plenary sessions led by industry experts and visionaries focused on four key themes: Sustainability, Education. Digitalisation, and Business Development. Key speakers include Haitham Mattar, Chief Executive Officer of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority; Murielle Machiels, Academic Director at Solvay Brussels School; Thierry Geerts, Country Director of Google Belgium and Luxembourg; and Pieter Van Leugenhagen, co-founder of a successful Belgian start-up and International Business Development Lead at Yondr.

As part of his keynote speech, Haitham Mattar delved into how stainable tourism growth has been a part of Ras Al Khaimah’s destination strategy since 2016 with the vision to be a sustainable and competitive tourism destination and leading contributor to the Emirate’s economy – all in line with UNWTO 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Haitham Mattar, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority said: “We are delighted to host and welcome the first edition of the Belgian Travel Summit as we get to showcase Ras Al Khaimah’s mesmerising coastline, scenic mountains, terracotta deserts, historic forts, and some of the most diverse and enchanting landscapes in the region to key members of the Belgian travel trade industry. Our incredible experiences such as Jebel Jais Flight: The World’s Longest Zipline have already helped put Ras Al Khaimah on the world map, but we need to continue to showcase the diversity of our destination through our partners in top source markets. As we look towards our goal of 1.5 million visitors by 2021 and 3 million by 2025, it is essential to personally connect with travel professionals from our source markets to further develop our partnerships with generalist and specialised tour operators and to give travel advisors at travel agencies a real flavour of everything Ras Al Khaimah has to offer our visitors.”

As part of the summit, the delegation is being introduced to Ras Al Khaimah’s diverse and spectacular sport, adventure, cultural and leisure offerings including Jebel Jais Flight: The World’s Longest Zipline, golf, falcon shows, archery, cultural tours, desert safari, and Ghaf tree planting.

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About Ras Al Khaimah

Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) is the northernmost of the seven Emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. It is known for its rich history, dating back 7,000 years, and diverse landscape, from 64km of pristine beaches, to terracotta deserts and an imposing mountain backdrop. The Emirate is home to the highest peak in the UAE, Jebel Jais, which features the world’s longest zip line, at almost 3km.

RAK is also centrally located at the modern crossroad between Europe and Asia, with one third of the world’s population within four hour’s flying time, making it an ideal location for businesses to expand into the UAE, the Middle East and Africa and beyond. 

At the Emirate's economic heart lies several major companies and sectors - industrial (including RAK Rock and Stevin Rock’s quarries, RAK Ceramics and Julphar Pharmaceuticals); RAK Ports; RAK Economic Zone; banking via RAKBANK; RAK Gas and tourism. Supporting these industries is a modern infrastructure, state-of-the-art industrial areas and business parks and world-class hotels, facilities and attractions for tourists. 

For the past decade, Ras Al Khaimah has been consistently rated ‘A’ by Fitch and Standard & Poor’s rating agencies and already the Emirate is home to more than 15,000 businesses from 100 countries representing over 50 industries. RAK Courts is also the second-fastest court in the world at enforcing contracts in commercial disputes.

To learn more about Ras Al Khaimah, visit us at:

#VisitRasAlKhaimah

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 attract 1.5 million visitors by 2021, and 3 million visitors by 2025, the Ras Al Khaimah TDA 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.

For further information, please contact:
Asda’a Burson Cohn & Wolfe
+971 (4) 4507600
RAK@bcw-global.com 

Noura Dabo
Public Relations Manager, RAKTDA
noura@raktda.com 
+971 (0)7 204 4063

© Press Release 2019

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