Royal Commission for AlUla Partners with Ferrandi Paris to Establish Culinary Arts College

The college will offer three-year diploma programs in culinary arts, tourism, and hospitality. SPA
The college will offer three-year diploma programs in culinary arts, tourism, and hospitality. SPA
TT

Royal Commission for AlUla Partners with Ferrandi Paris to Establish Culinary Arts College

The college will offer three-year diploma programs in culinary arts, tourism, and hospitality. SPA
The college will offer three-year diploma programs in culinary arts, tourism, and hospitality. SPA

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has announced the establishment of Ferrandi Paris College (CAMPUS ALULA).
The college will offer three-year diploma programs in culinary arts, tourism, and hospitality to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary for successful careers in these fields.
The partnership between RCU and Ferrandi Paris, announced at the recently held 8th Future Investment Initiative (FII8) Conference, aligns with AlUla's broader vision of sustainable and human capital development.
The college aims to enroll 100 students in its inaugural year and will offer comprehensive training in traditional and modern French cuisine, confectionery, bakery, and hospitality and tourism services.
This move aims to develop human capital in the fields of culinary arts, hospitality, and tourism, positioning AlUla as a global education hub for these sectors.



Snow Forecast Next Week on Mt Fuji, at Last

A sign with a photo of Mount Fuji covered in snow is seen at a view point as Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776 metres, looms in the background in Gotemba, Shizuoka prefecture on October 31, 2024. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP)
A sign with a photo of Mount Fuji covered in snow is seen at a view point as Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776 metres, looms in the background in Gotemba, Shizuoka prefecture on October 31, 2024. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP)
TT

Snow Forecast Next Week on Mt Fuji, at Last

A sign with a photo of Mount Fuji covered in snow is seen at a view point as Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776 metres, looms in the background in Gotemba, Shizuoka prefecture on October 31, 2024. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP)
A sign with a photo of Mount Fuji covered in snow is seen at a view point as Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776 metres, looms in the background in Gotemba, Shizuoka prefecture on October 31, 2024. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP)

Japan's Mount Fuji, snowless for the longest since records began 130 years ago, is expected to finally get its famous white cap back next week, a local forecaster said on Thursday.

Snow on average begins forming on Japan's highest mountain on October 2 and the latest it had been detected before this year was in 1955 and 2016, when it fell on October 26.

"Rain is likely to fall temporarily near Mount Fuji on November 6," forecasting website tenki.jp, run by the Japan Weather Association, said on Thursday.

"Cold air will move in and change from rain to snow near the summit," it said. "The weather will gradually clear up, and the first snow on the mountain may be observed on the morning of the 7th."

Another company Weather News also said Wednesday that "the first snowfall is likely to be pushed back to November".

At Lake Kawaguchi, a favorite viewing spot for the volcano, French visitor Hugo Koide told AFP it was "quite shocking to see at this time of year there's no snow."

The 25-year-old, who used to visit the area in autumn in his childhood, said he remembered how Fuji "was always covered by snow."

"I'm rocking up in T-shirt and shorts. It kind of doesn't feel the same," said Australian traveler Jason Le.

"I think that across the globe it is kind of affecting everybody. We're from Australia and what you are seeing is it is getting hotter in the summer months and it's getting colder earlier," he told AFP.

Last year snow was first detected on Fuji on October 5.

Yutaka Katsuta, a forecaster in the town of Kofu's meteorological office, told AFP on Monday climate change may play a role in delaying snowfall, with this year being the latest since comparative data became available in 1894.

"Temperatures were high this summer, and these high temperatures continued into September, deterring cold air (bringing snow)," Katsuta told AFP.

Japan's summer this year was the joint hottest on record -- equaling the level seen in 2023 -- as extreme heatwaves fueled by climate change engulfed many parts of the globe.

Warm weather has been affecting other snowy regions across the globe, with many ski resorts increasingly being forced to confront the realities of a warming climate.

In Japan the city of Sapporo in the normally chilly northern island of Hokkaido, has begun discussing scaling down its famous snow festival due to a shortage.