The northern-most emirate in the UAE hopes a new adventure camp showcasing its wide-open spaces, fresh air and socially-distanced mountain peaks can aid in reviving its tourist industry amid the coronavirus pandemic.
And if that doesn't work, there's the bug-eating - a hallmark of the British adventurer whose name graces the course.
Ras Al Khaimah has partnered with survival instructor Bear Grylls to offer a new outdoor adventure camp on Jebel Jais, a mountain that has the highest point in the oil-rich UAE.
The former Special Air Service trooper offers a can-do attitude in his televised treks into the unknown with a camera crew in tow. His outdoor witticisms pepper the course offered in Ras Al Khaimah, which can last for several hours or include a full overnight experience with courses in knifemanship, knot-tying and eating far beyond the norms of room service on a beachside vacation.
"People want to be put out of their comfort zone now and that's what we try to do," Martin Norton, the lead instructor of the Bear Grylls Survival Academy, told The Associated Press. "We try to take everyone to their sort of limit where they feel like they're uncomfortable and we can, you know, push them. And people then believe after the course they're capable of a lot more than what they think they are."
Last week, participants on Jebel Jais rappelled down the sheer face of a mountainside, a herd of goats bleating above them. Several grimaced through the dried worms, which tasted to one AP journalist like bulgur wheat until an instructor helpfully noted they leave a long-lingering aftertaste.
Already, Grylls' adventure camps have sprung up in his native United Kingdom, as well as 10 locations in China. The Ras Al Khaimah camp marks his first in the Middle East.
Ras Al Khaimah means "Top of the Tent" in Arabic.
The emirate, otherwise known for a ceramics factory bearing its initials RAK, has worked to increase tourism, offering itself as a secondary destination in the UAE or a quick holiday for the country's millions of expatriate workers. Russia, Kazakhstan and other nations once part of the former Soviet Union represent most of the tourists coming from abroad.
Ras Al Khaimah had reported reaching 1.12 million visitors in 2019.
But then came the coronavirus pandemic, which saw worldwide aviation halted and robbed the entire UAE of its crucial tourism market. The emirate sought out the staycation market.
The fresh air, the space while clambering over rocks in a wadi, or valley, and the austere style of the Bear Grylls camp appears for now to offer the opposite of that. There are plans to build overnight sleeping cabins out of shipping containers for guests. A model cabin stood open Thursday, with plywood-styled bunk beds and a small electrical generator chugging away near the rising mountainside.
Alison Grinnell, the CEO of RAK Hospitality Holding, a state-owned hotel operator, told the AP that travellers want "escapes" like those offered by the new adventure camp.
"We're never going to go back 100 per cent to how we were," Grinnell said of how the pandemic changed tourism. "I think people have got used to more space."
Ras Al Khaimah now offers free coronavirus nasal-swab tests for international travelers as well, said Raki Phillips, CEO of the Ras al-Khaimah Tourism Development Authority.
"It's something that's subsidised by the Ras Al Khaimah government to ensure that we welcome tourists, they know they're safe and we can take care of that burden on them," Phillips said.
He added: "There is no easier way to social-distance than to be on a mountain."
More than 300 staff would stop working for four days at terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5
world3 hours ago
Begging is a crime in the UAE punishable by a Dh5,000 fine and three-months imprisonment
uae3 hours ago
Set to be five times the size of DXB, Al Maktoum International will span 70 square-km
aviation3 hours ago
Officers found hidden compartments in her luggage, prompting a thorough examination that revealed the illicit substance
crime4 hours ago
In recognition of his honesty and integrity, Dubai police awarded Ali Jamal Al Balushi with a certificate of appreciation
uae4 hours ago
Strong demand is outpacing supply at a faster rate this year than estimated, especially after the UAE’s removal from FATF Grey List
uae5 hours ago