Ras Al Khaimah welcomes record number of visitors

The tourism industry in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) is booming, with figures for 2022 representing the highest ever number of visitors. Traveller numbers to RAK last year exceeded 2019 pre-pandemic levels. In total, the emirate welcomed 1.13 million guests, which was more than 15% up on the 2021 figure. International tourist numbers jumped 40%, with most guests coming from Kazakhstan, Russia, the UK, Germany and the Czech Republic, mainly due to a series of partnerships with airlines and tour operations and the effect of luxury cruises, which brought over 2,500 passengers and crew. The emirate hopes to welcome 50 cruise ships each season in future, involving more than 10,000 passenger visitors. Intercontinental, Mövenpick and Radisson are some of the hotel brands now represented in the emirate and they have reported a 17% increase in guest numbers across 8,000 hotel rooms in RAK. A new Anantara eco-resort with over-water villas will be located in the new Mina Al Arab district and is planned for opening in 2023 and a new beach retreat from Sofitel, with a 1,000-room Wynn Resort scheduled to open in 2026 housing the emirates’ first casino and a convention facility, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) will host the 11th Edition of the Exotic Wedding Planning Conference (EWPC), at Al Hamra Conference Centre 1–3 March 2023, while the 10^th edition of the Arab Aviation Summit (AAS), the region’s leading aviation and tourism industry event, will be held 14-16 March 2023, also at the Al Hamra centre. Photo courtesy of RAKTDA