Headline:
RENDEZVOUS AT RAS AL KHAIMAH
Sub:
Ras al Khaimah, is now the must visit destination in the Middle East for the discerning tourist and it is not surprising why….
Body:
Ras al Khaimah offers you many surprises. Though situated at the northern tip of the UAE, in largely a desert area, agriculture was practiced for years in this oasis and has sustained probably a civilization thousands of years old. Heritage sites located in and around what were once date palm gardens pay tribute to the ingenuity and tenacity of the people of this desert land and offer the tourist a wealth of knowledge of bye-gone eras.
Mountains in North Ras Al Khaimah have reported snow falls with summer temperatures at a pleasant 28*C. These now welcome the nature lovers who wish to beat the heat and indulge in mountain climbing and similar pursuits.
Isolated clean sandy beaches and clear blue waters welcome the worshippers of the sun and sea. Luxury Hotels dot the 64 kms beach front offering you the privacy and all the facilities to ski, surf, swim or just soak in the sun. An 18 hole day and night golf course, shopping malls that stock international brands, a 5 star hotel and spa at the famed therapeutic Khatt Spring waters all make for time well spent at Ras al Khaimah.
With Dubai just a 45 minute drive away, it is not surprising that Ras al Khaimah is the new rendezvous for everyone.
Logo of the destination and the tag: “The oasis of the Emirates “
Logo of the RAK Tourism Office
Creative Concept and Copy: Vinod Natesan, RAK Tourism Office. Art:RAK Ceramics Design Support Dept.
The work at Ras Al Khaimah involved promoting tourism in the Emirate. Given that the number of hotels were few my task became promoting of the Emirate as an investment destination for the hospitality industry. On my own initiative I found an opportunity to bring in investments in media and set up the Media City.
My work and results are exhibited in my other blog:
http://vnreferences.blogspot.com/
But to give you an idea the highlights were:
*The nearly 300 million Euros Arabian Opportunities Fund from Hamburg. This was to bring in funds for investments into real estate projects in the Middle East, particularly, Ras Al Khaimah.
* The 150 million US$ Century Media City which was to provide uplinking facilities for TV channels
*The Us$1 billion Mirage Film City from Hollywood, a part of the Nickelsen Group a breakaway unit of Manex which won back to back Oscars for special effects done in movies like"What dreams my come" and "Matrix".
*RAK Marathon with Premier Marathon as the coordinator. This was the first international event of consequence in RAK.
*Starting of dhow cruises in RAK with the entrepreneur Suresh Laljee.
* Marketing of Marjan Island. I managed to sell more than 2 million sq.ft. This included investors
*Promoted the Emirate through a sustained PR Campaign that saw real estate prices go up in the Emirate.
*Brought in an international school (International Baccalaureate). This was through the D.Y.Patil Group.
*Represented the Tourism Office and the Investment Authority at international B2B seminars like the ITB in Berlin, The MIPM in Cannes , the GITOF in Bahrain, The Arab Summit in Munich and the Arab Hotel Investor Conference in Dubai. On instructions from the Deputy Ruler HH Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qassimi,I was also made the 'protocol in charge' with the responsibility of presenting to Ambassdors and Commercial Attache's the Emirate's progress in the fields of tourism and industry. I had the privilege of presenting to Sir Richard Makepeace the UK Ambassdor, the Chinese Ambassdor, the Bulgarian Consul General, the Armenian Ministerial delegation, trade delegations from Moscow, Italy and many others.
* Successfully initiated the talks for a twin city agreement with Dusseldorf.
*Successfully moved on the Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts project .BTHR was a premium hotel chain which chose a unique luxury project in RAK.
*To preserve the heritage of the Emirate, undertook a restoration project and complemented it with a PR initiative to promote heritage tourism. This was a joint venture with the Khaleej Times.
* Arranged film shoots and publicized this to promote the destination as glamorous, naturally scenic and premuim.
At the end of the day, I was double promoted and made "Head of Operations" by my immediate superior, Dr Massaad. Both Dr Massaad and HH Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qassimi were wonderful people to work for. I worked without holidays without a break for 1.5 years or more, before I returned to India due to personal compulsions. Given the time involved, it was a phenomenal stint.The Oxford Business Group ranked Ras al Khaimah as one of the fastest growing investment destinations in 2006. This was echoed by the Financial Times, London. Tourism in RAK grew from 156,000 in 2005 to 500,000 in 2006-07.
The best compliment I ever got came from Dr Massaad "He is capable of doing miracles if he sets his mind to it and focuses"!! That was worth more than the millions I was paid!!
CLIENT AND EMPLOYER FEEDBACK
Investment Promotion
Media City
Tourism Promotion
Overall
POST SCRIPT:
Knowledge at Wharton on the Branding of Ras Al Khaimah
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