Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) has unveiled a sustainable tourism strategy in which it has pledged to become the regional leader in environmentally-conscious tourism by 2025.
Led by Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), the Sustainable Tourism Destination Strategy marks a milestone in the emirate’s plan to secure long-term sustainability and drive overall tourism growth.
The guiding principles will include delivering authentic tourism experiences through preservation and conservation; embracing green construction principle; improving the quality of life and wellbeing of citizens and residents with a community-based approach; and setting environmental goals based on minimising the industry’s carbon footprint and building improved tourism industry resilience as well as respecting and safeguarding local culture and communities.
RAKTDA CEO Raki Phillips said: “We have taken an important step towards a more sustainable future for our emirate. As government and tourism stakeholders collectively pledge to work together in order to establish Ras Al Khaimah as a regional leader in sustainable tourism by 2025, we are also signaling that environmental considerations are necessary for long term investment and hospitality development in a destination.”
He added: “The Global Citizen Forum was the perfect platform to make a collective commitment to deliver a more sustainable and resilient future, not only for Ras Al Khaimah but also for future generations of global citizens.”
The signing took place as part of the sustainability stream at the Global Citizen Forum’s annual summit, held at the Al Hamra International Exhibition & Conference Centre. The event, themed ‘The Future in Motion’, welcomed some of the world’s leading minds including country leaders, ministers, philanthropists, activists, acclaimed artists and athletes, entrepreneurs and top-tier economists, with sustainability forming a key pillar of discussion.
The strategy follows the authority’s announcement earlier this year of over 20 new sustainable tourism initiatives across the emirate marking an investment of half a billion dirhams in partnership with RAK Hospitality Holding and RAK Chamber of Commerce and Industry. These projects centre on the new destination strategy that focuses on nature, leisure, adventure, accessibility and authenticity.
RAK was named the Gulf Tourism Capital for both 2020 and 2021 by the GCC and set a benchmark in becoming the first city in the world to secure the Bureau Veritas Safeguard Label and World Travel and Tourism Council’s Safe Travel Stamp. In recognition of the number of progressive policies in place that promote employee well-being, RAKTDA was also certified as a ‘Great Place to Work’ in the Middle East 2021, the first and only organization to be awarded this certification in Ras Al Khaimah.
