Ras al Khaimah will play host to the 23 finalists for next year's Miss Germany pageant as they practise their talents before the contest. Cameras will capture the women practising interview techniques and modelling skills in a weeklong camp at the Al Hamra Fort and Beach resort. The results are to be shown on German television and the emirate hopes the exposure will provide a boost for its tourist industry.
"The camp is to help prepare the girls," said Hilary McCormack, manager of RAK Tourism. "In previous years, it has been held in Egypt and Spain. The pageant organisers looked all over the UAE and Al Hamra offered the best venue because it was a very large site. "For us, the main attraction is to increase our profile in the German market. It will highlight Ras al Khaimah as a new destination in the UAE."
The Miss Germany Corporation sponsors the pageant. It organises 250 events to select the finalists, each of whom represents one of Germany's main districts. The reigning Miss Germany, Kim-Valerie Voigt, is expected to attend the launch of the camp in Ras al Khaimah. The camp will run from Jan 28 to Feb 7. The pageant finals are scheduled for Feb 14 in Rust, Germany. Last week, Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras al Khaimah, urged developers to speed up completion of hotels, shopping malls and a new airport. The emirate is building tourism projects worth about Dh18.3 billion (US$5bn) but efforts have been hampered by power shortages.
Ras al Khaimah plans to attract 2.5 million visitors a year by 2012. It currently attracts about 500,000.
jgerson@thenational.ae
