Visit by Businesswomens' Association designed to boost Swiss-UAE links

The Abu Dhabi-based delegation, led by Dr. Rawda Al Mutawa, Chairwoman of the National Businesswomen's Committee in the UAE, were VIP guests of the Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne for four nights of their eight-day Swiss visit.

Dr Al Mutawa was accompanied by Mrs Fatma Al Tamimi, Vice President of Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Mrs Salwa Shaibany, who has business interests in building materials, agricultural products, cosmetics and waste management, Mrs Hissa Salim Al Mehairi, who has a textiles business, Mrs. Nabila Al Bufalah, owner of a private School, and Sheikha Oumayma Al Qasmi, a member of the National Businesswomens Association from Sharjah. The delegation also included Mrs Martine Barras, wife of the Swiss Ambassador in Abu Dhabi.

The Beau-Rivage Palace was included in the delegation's visit last week because the hotel has developed close links with the UAE, receiving a growing number of business and leisure guests from the Emirates, as well as from a number of other Middle East countries, in recent years.

Last year, the hotel was among the participants in a two-day exhibition of Swiss products and services - including hospitality, jewellery design, healthcare and private education - at the Swiss Embassy in Abu Dhabi, an event which has become an annual fixture in initiatives to reinforce UAE-Swiss business links.

The Swiss companies taking part each year have opportunities not only to showcase their products and services, but also to establish contact with potential business partners in the UAE, and this week's visit by the UAE businesswomen's group was another step towards strengthening business links between the two countries.

During their stay at the Beau-Rivage Palace, the UAE delegation were able to enjoy the discreet setting and exquisite service which have combined to give the hotel an international reputation for excellence.

After an official reception, the group enjoyed dinner in the hotel's famous La Rotonde French restaurant, and during they stay they were also taken on a tour of the hotel, named the best in Switzerland three years in succession by the Swiss economic magazine, 'Bilanz'.

The UAE delegation's Swiss visit also included a cable car ride to Mount Pilatus, as well as visits to the Jakob Schlaepfer textiles factory in St Gallen, Zurich University Hospital, the Spiegel Beauty Clinic in Berne, the Parmigiani watchmaking premises in Fleurier, the IMD Business School in Lausanne, and the world-famous Clinique La Prairie in Montreux.