Ras Al Khaimah on growth mode
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The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) announced visitor figures for the first quarter of 2013, which was 304,843 guests boosting the Emirate’s hotel revenue to US$45.102 million. In addition, the Emirate welcomed 1,105,191 guests, surpassing the Authority’s target of one million.
The Emirate is also looking forward to inaugurating five major hotels and resorts in 2013, adding a further 2,000 rooms. The 346-room Ras Al Khaimah Waldorf Astoria marks the entry of Hilton Worldwide’s luxury brand into the UAE; The 596-rooms Rixos Bab Al Bahr Resort will be the first large-scale all-inclusive resort in the UAE; The 315-room Marjan Island Resort & Spa; The 265-room Santorini Hotel, a part of The Bin Majid Group and finally the 385-room DoubleTree by Hilton Resort, Marjan Island, the second DoubleTree by Hilton property in Ras Al Khaimah.
The new figures also reveal that the Emirate is witnessing a significant rise in domestic tourism, as traffic from the UAE increased 15% from its 2012. As a result, during the first quarter of 2013, the UAE overtook Germany and Russia as Ras Al Khaimah’s largest source market. Ras Al Khaimah has also seen an influx of visitors from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and India which grew by 312%, 227% and 109% respectively as Ras Al Khaimah TDA continuously seeks to develop the Emirate’s presence in new markets.