Indian YouTube sensation Varun Pruthi, whose highly-charged and sometimes controversial social experiment videos regularly attract six-10 million views, is due in Ras Al Khaimah, the UAE’s northernmost emirate, this year for the second in an inspiring youth motivation series.

The Delhi-born actor and dancer will be a keynote speaker at the 2017 Young Global Leaders Summit (YGLS), which will run at the five-star Rixos Bab Al Bahr hotel on 27 September 2017 – the United Nations’ World Tourism Day.

Organised by the regional business and policy magazine Leaders Middle East, the event is sponsored by Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) as part of its drive to align itself with youth empowerment and innovation and to heighten awareness of the emirate as an emerging meetings destination. 

“Varun’s presence will add considerable engagement to the debate,” said Haitham Mattar, CEO, RAKTDA. “He is renowned for stimulating social commentary debate, which is part of the focus of the summit, which in just one event has already established itself as a regional force for knowledge sharing and networking among aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs.

“We believe this specific audience has much in common with Ras Al Khaimah and its tourism ambitions. We strive constantly to innovate our own particular product, leveraging our natural assets of diverse desert, coast and mountain landscapes and look to engage enterprising young start-ups viewing to introduce stand-up tourism products which will assist our differentiation.”

Lorenzo Jooris, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Leaders Middle East, said the 2017 event will debate the business, social and media issues most crucial to today’s aspiring youth.

“Top of the agenda will be economic growth, social development, youth empowerment, inclusion, demographic change, sustainability and corporate social responsibility in the private sector,” said Jooris. “We anticipate lively debate and though-provoking potential solutions. Varun is known for his ability to spur deep, collective introspection which will bring a fascinating element to the summit.”