31 May, 2013: The government of Rhas Al Khaiman, in the United Arab Emirates, has recently unveiled plans to build an outdoor ski resort, complete with catered chalets, atop the country’s highest peak, Jebal Jais.

While snow is a rare commodity in the Middle Eastern Country, Engineer Salem Sultan Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Department of Civil Aviation and Vice-Chairman of RAK Airways, believes artificially snow-capped peaks to be a challenging, but feasible technology.

To back this opinion, those involved in this ambitious project point to the indoor slope located in a shopping centre in nearby Qatar.

There is, however, another variable to consider: the roads leading to the summit of Jebal Jais are still quite steep, and only navigable with a four-wheel drive vehicle.

For the past eight years, however, authorities have been building a paved road meant to make the journey easier, in order to attract tourists; said road is now 70 percent complete, and it is expected that by the time the resort is officially open, the roads leading to it will be smooth and easy to manage.

Although no time frame for said inauguration has been set as of yet, those involved in the project are already excited about the economic benefits it can bring to the United Arab Emirates, already a growing economy of its own right.

Al Qssimi’s own RAK Airlines are planning to increase the volume of flights to each of their destinations, and the airport of the same name has already been subject to a major expansion.

The tourism sector currently contributes to 5-9^ of the United Arab Emirate’s GDP, with an average yearly growth of 4%. The aviation and hospitality sectors show the most growth, according to recent financial reports released at the ATM.

For information on catered chalets, contact Ski Amis at www.skiamis.com or call 0203 411 5439.

About:

Ski Amis has been providing catered chalet holidays since 1989 and has built its reputation on the basis of high quality and excellent service always with the comfort of guests in mind. All its chalets have en-suite facilities, electric boot warmers, log-fires and free WIFI connection, and most now have hot-tubs for that added luxury.

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