JA bird's eye view of Ras Al Khaimah. ARCHIVE

The Royal Office of Sheikh Ahmed bin Faisal Al Qassimi is working on several mega projects aimed at making Ras Al Khaimah the next biggest destination in the UAE, Dunston Pereira, the CEO of Sheikh Ahmed's Royal Office, tells Expatmedia.net. While those are in the works, some solid projects have already taken off. “A casino has been approved in Ras Al Khaimah and development is ongoing,” Dunston says. He shares details about the rest of the mega projects in the pipeline:

World’s biggest film city in Ras Al Khaimah

“Film City is going to be a major attraction for the film fraternity. It’s going to be a theme park or one-stop destination for the global film industry,” Dunston says, adding that the big studios in Hollywood and Bollywood will be part of it. He says Film City will be a hub for studios to set up their offices, production sets, warehouses and other services. "They can film big budget productions in Ras Al Khaimah, with everything they need right in Film City," he adds.

Pharmaceutical City

Pharmaceutical City is also another ambitious project that is being planned in Ras Al Khaimah. “We want to bring in all the leading pharmaceutical companies from across the world to one location, set up a city for them to establish their business, from accommodations to factories, and support them in their endeavour to produce medicines,” Dunston says. He describes the project as something “close to his heart” because it will put the UAE at the forefront of making medicine affordable to everyone.

Wildlife sanctuary

To boost Ras Al Khaimah as a tourism destination, the Al Qassimi Royal Office is also planning to set up a wildlife sanctuary. “We are tying up with a company from South Africa to open the sanctuary where people can come and enjoy nature with the wild animals,” Dunston says. Dunston says the sanctuary will have the feel of an African safari and will feature the world's wildlife, such as lions, elephants, giraffes and others.

Underwater Theme Park

Another project is the Underwater Theme Park where people can explore the hidden wonders of the deep sea, Dunston said. An artist's impression of the project, seen by Expatmedia.net, showed tourists in a mini submarine and a massive aquarium. The eco-friendly theme park will provide a safe haven for underwater creatures as well as corals, and offer adventure experiences to visitors.

Sports Academy

The private office is also working on a project to set up a Sports Academy in Ras Al Khaimah. It will support sports like cricket, football, basketball, gymnastics and more with state-of-the-art practice areas and arenas. ALSO READ: Exclusive on Moon in Dubai megaproject “All these megaprojects that are going to happen in Ras Al Khaimah is definitely going to change the destiny of emirate and develop it into the next sought-after destination in the Middle East,” Dunston says. At the same time, the Al Qassimi Royal Office will continue to support SME’s and businesses in their expansion dreams. “Our doors are always open. Whoever comes, we make sure we spend time with them, understand what their needs are and to the best of our ability we try to help them out,” he adds. PIA/Expat Media A condensed version of this story also appears in the Expat Media Special Edition magazine
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