Ras Al Khaimah’s Al Hamra International Exhibition & Conference Centre will be hosting this year’s Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) annual summit, it has been announced.
The event will run from 31st March to 3rd April.
PATA officials are hoping that the event will see over 250 international industry shapers, senior decision-makers and thought leaders brought together, all of whom are concerned with driving tourism around the Asia Pacific region.
The three-day event, which the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority is hosting, marks the first time that the PATA summit has been held in the Middle East.
The summit will embrace an international forum in order to enhance the value, quality and sustainable growth of the tourism industry.
The extensive programme is aligned with the vision of PATA 2020 and will explore ‘Partnerships for Tomorrow’ as its central theme.
It will also be providing the public and private sector PATA members and partners with a platform to talk about the issues and challenges that the industry is facing.
For the past two years, the World Travel Awards have recognised Ras Al Khaimah, which is part of the United Arab Emirates, as the Leading Adventure Tourism Destination in the Middle East.
The emirate plays host to a variety of industry-leading properties such as the Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah at Al Hamra Beach and Al Wadi Desert, the Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah and Rixos Bab Al Bahr.
Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority’s chief executive Raki Phillips says that it is an honour for the emirate to host the PATA Summit 2020.
The move provides a wonderful opportunity for industry leaders and delegates to become familiar with the diverse offerings that the emirate has to offer, according to Phillips.
In addition to providing superb MICE facilities, the emirate is in a one-of-a-kind position to be able to complement events of this nature via its first-class resorts, abundance of outdoor and cultural adventure experiences and beautiful coastline, Phillips says.
Ras Al Khaimah was largely unknown until the last few years, but its recent engaging and bold tourism strategy has seen that change of late, according to PATA’s chief executive Mario Hardy.
Hardy says that the emirate now makes international headlines that celebrate its numerous outdoor experiences and rich cultural heritage and has secured a reputation as a travel destination that is adventurous and exciting.
Hardy notes that Ras Al Khaimah is also very easy to access with a growing airport and is situated only 45 minutes away from both Sharjah Airport and Dubai International Airport.
This means that the summit is the ideal opportunity for Asian member organisations to explore an area of the UAE that most will not have previously experienced and allows them to see an increasingly popular destination.
Anyone intending to travel to Ras Al Khaimah or anywhere else in the UAE should ensure that they are covered by travel insurance beforehand to financially guard against unexpected instances such as lost luggage or cancelled flights.
