Tourism Reaches New Heights in UAE’s RAK

His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi has long promoted a burgeoning tourism industry to help ensure the long-term economic success of his emirate, Ras Al Khaimah, the northernmost member of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

This goal has become reality as visitors to Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) are expected to increase from the 835,200 who visited the emirate in 2011 to at least 1.2 million in 2013. It is projected that the openings of the Waldorf Astoria luxury hotel and resort and the 124-acre Real Madrid resort and sports academy will boost tourism to 20 percent of the Ras Al Khaimah economy by 2021.

The creation of the RAK Tourism Development Authority in 2011 was to promote the emirate as an affordable destination for visitors traveling to it for business or pleasure. In keeping with the mission outlined by Sheikh Saud, the tourism authority has targeted a goal of increasing RAK hotel and resort capacity from the 2,500 rooms that existed at the end of 2011 to 10,000 units by 2016.

The RAK Tourism Development Authority (TDA) has been busy in its brief existence. The authority has made sure that the emirate was represented at tourism trade shows in Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom in 2011 and 2012. The TDA also hosted shows in Sweden, the Ukraine and Russia, promoting Ras Al Khaimah as an adventure and leisure travel destination.

The TDA also produced a movie highlighting the emirate’s culture, heritage, natural beauty, wildlife, sports and activities. The movie joins the new RAK tourism website, the RAK tourism application for iPad and iPhone and a new Facebook page. This multi-media network makes it easy for people around the globe to find out all that RAK has to offer.

Key tourism projects underway in the emirate include renovation of Banyan Tree Al Wadi Desert Resort, acquired by RAK in 2011.The plans include increasing the wildlife population housed at the resort and extending the villa complex. Other scheduled projects include the construction of the Real Madrid resort and sports academy on Marjan Island that is scheduled to open in 2015.

Other hotels and resorts scheduled to open in the next two years include:

• The Ras Al Khaimah Waldorf Astoria luxury hotel
• The Rixos Bab Al Bahr Resort on Marjan Island
• The Hilton Al Hamra Fort Hotel and Beach Resort
• The Hilton Double Tree resort on Marjan Island
• The Crown Plaza Ras Al Khaimah

Attracting visitors to the emirate takes more than just hotel and resort rooms. Under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, the RAK TDA, the Department of Civil Aviation and RAK Airlines are working together to make it easier for business and leisure travelers to get to the emirate. Terminals are being expanded to accommodate more passengers and more carriers servicing RAK International Airport.

A 24 percent increase in passengers using RAK International Airport in 2012 and the explosion of hotel and resort capacity show that the Ras Al Khaimah has become one of the leading tourist destinations in the region, thanks to the planning and vision of His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi.

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