Ras Al Khaimah had set a target for 2017 of 900,000 visitors, and this is edging closer after international arrivals in the first nine months of this year, January to September, showed nine percent growth on the same period in 2016.

Visitor arrivals over the period reached 631,617, guest nights grew 12.4 percent, occupancy rose 1.3 percent to 69.2 percent, while length of stay came in at 3.55 days – a growth of nine percent.

At a glance:

• Ras Al Khaimah had a target of 900,000 visitors in 2017
• In the first 9 months of 2017, 631,617 arrivals were recorded
• Local events have extended the stays of visitors 9%
• The top 3 sources of visitors were Germany, Russia, and the UK 
• More hotel rooms are being built to reach new targets of one million visitors by the end of 2018, and 2.9 million visitors by 2025

“While growth in all KPIs was satisfying, we are particularly pleased with the extended length of stay which we attribute to development of our events calendar and products, such as the highly successful Via Ferrata around Jebel Jais in the Hajar Mountains. As the first regional product of its type, the Jebel Jais Via Ferrata has done much to established the emirate as a credible leisure activity and adventure destination,” explained Haitham Mattar, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA).

“We now have a strong foundation in which to further develop our product and event offerings on Jebel Jais. This month’s spectacular Vivaldianno concert and new attractions opening in coming months, such as the world’s longest zip line and a multi-view Viewing Deck, all leverage our natural mountain terrain to complement our traditional desert and beach propositions.”

Germany, Russia, and the UK came in as the emirate’s top three international source markets, with the most prominent growth from Russia, with arrivals growing 66.34 percent. Other major international gains came from the Czech Republic, which delivered 67.58 percent growth, and Poland, with arrivals soaring by 281.97 percent. The domestic UAE market contributes to more than a third of overall visitors, and Saudi Arabia’s arrivals from the Kingdom increasing 3.3 percent in the first nine months compared to the same period last year.

“As Ras Al Khaimah draws closer to reaching its one million visitors target by the end of 2018, and charts a path towards attracting 2.9 million visitors by 2025, the need for quality hotel rooms has never been so important,” added Mattar.

New hotels slated for the destination include: RAK Properties’ 300-room Anantara Mina Al Arab Ras Al Khaimah Resort, which is due to open early 2020 with the emirate’s first overwater villas and RAK Properties’ 350-room InterContinental Ras Al Khaimah Mina Al Arab Resort, scheduled to open in 2019; the Park Inn by Radisson Resort on Marjan Island by the third quarter of next year; a Diamonds International Corporation luxury hotel and residential apartment project; a 460-room Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts property; a 225-key Avani Al Marjan Island; and a Millennium resort, which will add a further 350 rooms when it opens during the last quarter of 2020.

Other hotel brands marking their entrance in the emirate include Marriott, Sheraton Four Points, and City Max, while both The Cove Rotana Resort and Bin Majid Beach Resort are being expanded.

“To accommodate this growth in visitors, we are providing potential investors a range of innovative opportunities to develop stand out properties across the emirate,” he said, adding that these would be showcased at the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference which will be held in Ras Al Khaimah for the first time in 2018,” explained Mattar.

See also:

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