Tag Archives: Bureau Veritas

Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD) has launched inspection campaign across the emirate’s tourist establishments to ensure compliance with ‘BV’ certification to protect guests, visitors and hospitality employees in Ajman, in line with the strengthening of precautionary measures taken by the UAE. Bureau Veritas (BV) includes a comprehensive checklist to confirm compliance with good hygiene practices, social distancing, and all other recommendations to maintain the highest levels of safety. It also includes field audits to check that the expected protective measures are implemented efficiently. Sultan Ali Al Nuaimi, Director of Licensing & Tourism Standards Department at Ajman Tourism, said, “This campaign comes as part of our efforts to ensure that all tourist establishments are following the best preventive measures as the emirate continues to consolidate its position as a favourable destination for the UAE residents and tourists. We continue to work closely with our partners in the hospitality sector to preserve the safety and health of the guests of the Emirate of Ajman.”

Accor announced its continued action to lead the hospitality industry with the most stringent cleaning standards and operational procedures concentrated on guest safety. Following operational disruptions stemming from COVID-19, Accor has successfully reopened most of its hotels with 95% of them having already adopted the Group’s trusted ALLSAFE cleanliness and hygiene protocols jointly developed with Bureau Veritas. To date, Accor has successfully certified 65% of these hotels with the ALLSAFE label through a third-party review and accreditation process with professional auditors like Bureau Veritas, SGS, Clifton and Ecolab, and is working to have additional hotels independently verified as ALLSAFE compliant over the coming months. “At Accor, we are grateful for the trust our guests have placed in us to protect their health, safety and wellbeing and this is a responsibility we prioritise above all else,” said Chris Cahill, Deputy CEO Hotel Operations. “Throughout this difficult year, our hotel teams have risen to the challenge of enhancing their already stringent protocols and following increased public safety regulations while continuing to welcome, safeguard and take care of others; this remains at the very heart of what we do and who we are as hoteliers.” “Rolling out the ALLSAFE Program in our region has been a priority for us since its launch”, said Mark Willis, CEO Middle East & Africa. As we continue to welcome our guests with all the joy and expectation that travel brings, we want to ensure we keep them, and our team members, as safe and protected as we can along their journey.”

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) announced a strong upturn in the Emirate’s tourism and hospitality performance during the initial phase of recovery post the COVID-19 pandemic. The Authority had launched a range of far reaching support initiatives, aimed at its hospitality, leisure and development partners, during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis to lay the strong foundations for future recovery. Moreover, stringent safety measures were implemented across the Emirate to safeguard guests and residents leading to internationally renowned certifications and a quick bounce-back of its tourism industry. Ras Al Khaimah’s key performance highlights during the initial phase of recovery include: Ras Al Khaimah reported an average ADR increase of 12.9% over Eid Al Adha break, the highest average room rate, compared to the last three years under normal (non-pandemic) travel circumstances; Despite the regional effects of the pandemic, Ras Al Khaimah leads in RevPAR in the UAE. The ongoing ‘Shortcation’ Campaign, which was launched in early June targeting domestic travel, drove bookings of almost 7,000 nights during the first eight weeks of the campaign; During Eid Al Adha holiday, Ras Al Khaimah hotels and resorts welcomed over 18,000 guests who chose the Emirate as their preferred staycation destination; The Jais Adventure Peak which has welcomed over 52,000 thrill seekers to date, reopened with strict sanitary measures and continues to receive visitors; 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. RAKTDA partners with the National Crisis & Emergency Management Authority and Ras Al Khaimah Preventive Medicine Department provide free COVID-19 PCR testing for …

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) confirmed that the city has been certified as a safe destination by Bureau Veritas, the global leader in testing, inspection and certification services, as it completes its ‘Safeguard Assurance’ programme. It is first city in the world to receive both the Bureau Veritas Safeguard Assurance Label and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travels Stamp which recognise the heightened safety standards, training and hygiene protocols in place across the Emirate. 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. 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 …

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) has announced a strategic partnership with Bureau Veritas Certification (Bureau Veritas) to launch the ‘Safeguard Assurance Program’ – an initiative to ensure that all operations within the hospitality sector resume safely and efficiently. Bureau Veritas will support the Authority in implementing stringent health, safety and hygiene measures across all Ras Al Khaimah hotels to mitigate any possible risks for employees and guests and provide complete peace of mind. The partnership will see Bureau Veritas conduct an independent audit, with all costs covered by RAKTDA, under its “SafeGuard Assurance Program” for 45 hotels, as part of the RAK ‘Stay Safe’ Hotel campaign. The additional audit process serves to further validate the safety and hygiene measures and processes already put in place by the Authority in partnership with Government Authorities, and takes its ‘Stay Safe’ Hotel Certification to the next level. Having operated in the field of risk management for more than two centuries, Bureau Veritas has developed its SafeGuard Assurance methodology in collaboration with experts in the field, ideally suited to organisations looking to restart their business efficiently. The auditing process will involve sharing a checklist of measures to be implemented across the properties, an onsite inspection and an unannounced visit. Individual properties will be assessed on factors including: commitment to the program; respect for social distancing guidelines; compliance with hygienic practices and measures; as well as surveillance and management of any issues.    

Rotana has announced that 16 of its hotels in the United Arab Emirates, representing nearly 50 per cent of the company’s portfolio in the country, have obtained the ISO 14001 environmental management certification. ISO 14001 is an international standard that provides a set of standardised requirements for environmental management systems. The independent, third-party certification audit was conducted by Bureau Veritas, a global leader in conformity assessment and certification services. Commenting on the achievement, Rotana’s Chief Operating Officer, Guy Hutchinson said that the social, economic and legal arguments for taking action on environmental issues are becoming more persuasive and more widely requested by different stakeholders. Rotana hotels around the world are taking various initiatives for the sake of the environment under our global sustainability platform Rotana Earth. Now, they have gone one step further by adopting the internationally-recognised ISO 14001 environmental management standard in their hotels, and are extremely proud that as many as 16 Rotana hotels in the UAE have successfully implemented and achieved this certification.