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29 March 2024

Sun, sand, heritage: How RAK beats Maldives and Seychelles

Published
By Parag Deulgaonkar

The Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Tourism Development Authority is expecting a 13.5 per cent growth in tourism numbers for 2016 over 2015, driven by its emphasis to attract visitors from newer market such as India, China, Poland and Finland.

“We are expecting to receive 100,000 tourists this year, which will take the total visitor number to 840,000 in 2016 from 740,000 in 2015,” Haitham Mattar, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, said after unveiling their new logo on Tuesday, which represents the iconic “The Watch Tower.”

“Our new branding strategy and logo reflects the evolution of the destination, our vision for the future, as well as the authenticity which the emirate offers. It is our priority to enhance the destination and demonstrate its rich Arabian culture, heritage and traditions to a global audience,” he added.

In 2015, RAK registered a 6 per cent growth in tourism numbers, which was over the average global growth of 4 per cent.

Almost 50 per cent of the tourists to the emirate were from within the UAE, with Germany, the United Kingdom, Russians and Indians being the top four international markets.

= Great opportunity

A research undertaken by the authority within its key source market (listed above) reveals that visitors are looking for “sun and sand” and connecting with culture, nature, heritage and history.

“Now that obviously was great opportunity for us because RAK enjoys these natural assets… we have the highest mountains in the UAE, we have unspoiled beaches, and we have a fantastic desert with a wildlife reserve.”

The emirate’s history also shows evidence of ancient civilisations that date back to the Ubaid period from 5000-3800 BC.

= Quite affordable

Mattar believes affordability in comparison to other international beach resort destination and safety has led to growth in visitor numbers.

“We have four-star brands that are five-star products, but come with four-star pricing… so it is affordable for families and makes a great value for money compared to other beach destination such as Maldives and Seychelles. Furthermore, the safety element brings a lot of tourists to our emirate.”

= Growing inventory

In 2014, 1,100 rooms were delivered taking the total number of rooms to 5,000.

“We are expecting 3600 new rooms to be delivered by end of 2019. So we will reach close to 9,000 rooms which will be supporting our strategy in visitor growth,” the official said.
The emirate is targeting one million visitors by 2018 and 3 million visitors by 2025.