iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
During the summer break, people had to wait for months for visa appointments as the travel sector had reopened after the easing of restrictions post-pandemic
KT APPDOWNLOAD
UAE: Tourist numbers in RAK are up this year despite dip in Russian-speaking visitors, says top official
The first quarter of this year saw 8 per cent growth of visitor arrivals compared to the first quarter of 2019, he said
Russian-speaking tourists to the town of Ras Al Khaimah, part of the United Arab Emirates, have dipped since Russia attacked Ukraine, but visitors from other markets have offset that fall and overall visits are up this year, an official said on Tuesday.
Raki Phillips, chief executive of the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, said tourists from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other former Soviet states typically made up 10 per cent of annual visitors to the northern Emirate about 120 kilometres from Dubai.
"However, during the crisis, of course there's been an impact, but we are such a resilient destination that's very international in our visitor arrivals that we haven't seen a big dip in the numbers," he told Reuters at the Arabian Travel Market trade fair in Dubai.
"Overall, we've seen a great increase in new markets for us. We were able to pivot, focus on Latin America, focus on the Indian market, and the GCC has been a big focus for us. All of those are markets that have been able to compensate any changes we've seen in the Russian market."
The first quarter of this year saw 8 per cent growth of visitor arrivals compared to the first quarter of 2019, he said. The fourth quarter of 2021 saw roughly 5 per cent growth from the fourth quarter of 2019.
Before the pandemic, in 2019, RAK drew about 1.1 million arrivals. Last year, it attracted just shy of 1 million visitors and this year, expects to reach over 1.1 million "and we're aspiring to get close to 1.2 million visitors," Phillips said.
ALSO READ:
More news from Travel
Flyers are now required to obtain the new eArrival card, instead of the One Health Pass
The additional frequencies will provide passengers increased connectivity and options to and from the city
The airline launched its first A380 service in the country on the Dubai-Mumbai route in 2014
Global tourism sectors projected to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels by 2023
The strong demand comes despite the requirement to present a negative Covid-19 test to enter the country
With the base fare as low as Dh399, passengers can avail this offer from October 1 to 16
Applicable to selected flights to and from Abu Dhabi, the offer comes as the cooler weather sets in