RAS AL KHAIMAH BECOMES THE FIRST CITY IN THE WORLD TO BE CERTIFIED AS SAFE BY BUREAU VERITAS AND THE FIRST EMIRATE TO RECEIVE THE WORLD TRAVEL AND TOURISM COUNCIL (WTTC) SAFE TRAVELS STAMP

• As travel emerges from lockdown, Ras Al Khaimah leads the way in global hygiene safety standards.
• Ras Al Khaimah was confirmed as the first city and Emirate in the world to receive the prestigious ‘Safeguard Assurance’ Label from Bureau Veritas for industry-wide health and safety protocols.
• The 50,000 sqft Al Hamra International Exhibition and Conference Center is the only convention and meeting space in the Middle East to be Bureau Veritas certified.

Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, 2020-Jul-03 — /Travel PR News/ — Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) is delighted to announce its certification as an officially safe city, according to the stringent standards demanded by Bureau Veritas, the global leader in testing, inspection and certification services.  

The Emirate, the northernmost in the UAE, is the first destination in the Middle East to be awarded the prestigious Safeguard Assurance Label guaranteeing that heightened safety standards, training and hygiene protocols are in place.   

Through a strategic partnership with Bureau Veritas, RAKTDA has implemented pioneering health, safety and hygiene measures across all Ras Al Khaimah hotels to eliminate risk for employees and guests and thus ensure complete peace of mind.  

In addition, the 50,000 square foot Al Hamra International Exhibition & Conference Center is now the only such venue in the Middle East to achieve Bureau Veritas certification. 

This first milestone on the new roadmap has been reached as Ras Al Khaimah becomes the first Middle Eastern City and first Emirate in UAE to receive the World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Safe Travels Stamp – an accreditation developed for the global travel and tourism industry to address the challenges presented by COVID-19 and similar outbreaks.  

Developed in collaboration with WTTC members, leading industry associations and governments, the Safe Travels Stamp aims to facilitate “a future of travel which is safe, secure, seamless” while providing “an authentic and meaningful experience to the traveller across the journey”.  

The global protocols follow the current guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and will continue to be updated as new information about COVID-19 becomes available.   

Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, comments, “As travel starts to resume, our role as a tourism development authority is to ensure that robust measures are in place to protect the health and safety of our visitors and provide the peace of mind they need for a truly well-deserved holiday. Our goal is for Ras Al Khaimah to set the global benchmark for post-pandemic travel safety and to set the standards to which all other destinations will aspire. We are immensely proud to be the first destination in the world to be certified as safe by Bureau Veritas and receive the WTTC safe travels stamp and believe it will go a long way to restore confidence and bring tourists back to Ras Al Khaimah. It also validates the huge efforts of our hospitality partners who are focused on delivering the highest global safety standards, today and every day, as we navigate this new normal for the industry.”     

He added: “WTTC is a very important partner for RAKTDA and one we wholeheartedly support in its efforts to restart and speed up the recovery of the sector in the wake of COVID-19.  The WTTC Safe Travels Stamp is an important vehicle to demonstrate alignment with essential safety protocols of the highest level and we are delighted that we can reassure visitors that Ras Al Khaimah meets these global standards.”