UAE, emerging markets boost RAK tourism in '17

Ras Al Khaimah - Germany, Russia, UK and India emirate's largest source markets

The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) on Sunday announced its results for the 12 months ending December 31, 2017, showing a 19 per cent growth in the overall number of tourists.
A substantial increase was witnessed from emerging markets, and while the UAE remains the most significant source market for tourism, accounting for almost half the visitors to Ras Al Khaimah in 2017, growth from international markets was also apparent.
Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and India, respectively, were Ras Al Khaimah's largest sources, with the number of visitors from Russia increasing 79 per cent from 2016. The UK also saw solid visitor growth of 16.8 per cent in 2017.
The year also saw emerging market growth, particularly amongst visitors from Eastern European countries. Inbound tourism from Poland was up 160 per cent from 2016, and the number of visitors from the Czech Republic increased by 51 per cent.
Haitham Mattar, chief executive officer of the RAKTDA, said: "With tourism arrivals to the emirate rising 19 per cent year-on-year, we are optimistic about reaching our goal of a million visitors by the end of 2018, and 2.9 million by the end of 2025. The particular focus we have placed on working with partners in emerging markets has been a great success and provided significant growth benefits." 
Hotel occupancies also performed well in 2017, with average occupancy throughout the year at 73.6 per cent, a growth of 3.5 per cent compared to 2016. The average length of stay also grew by 2.7 per cent to 3.41 days. The RAKTDA has plans to grow its current resort portfolio from just over 5,400 rooms to over 10,000 by the end of 2020.

• Ras Al Khaimah