RAK sees double-digit growth in int’l visitors

dubai — Ras Al Khaimah has witnessed a growth of 11.2 per cent in international guests in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2017, with almost 795,000 guests choosing to stay in Ras Al Khaimah from January to September 2018 for a total of 2.53 million guest nights.

The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) reported that the double digit growth from international markets was led by Germany as the single largest source market with 64,372 visitors, up 4.1 per cent on the same period in 2017. This was followed by Russia, with 57,117 visitors — up a significant 36.5 per cent on the same period in the previous year.

The third largest source market was the UK, with 45,496 visitors, up 10.1 per cent; India was in fourth position with 44,734 visitors, up 16.1 per cent; and rounding out the top five was Kazakhstan with 21,966 visitors, up 26.9 per cent.

In terms of market growth, Norway saw the largest percentage increase in visitors, up 41.5 per cent on the first three quarters of 2017, with Sweden and Denmark also showing increased interest in the emirate, with guest numbers up 27.7 per cent and 19.3 per cent respectively.

The emirate recorded regional success, with the second highest revenue per available room (at Dh402.2, the third highest average daily room rate at Dh581.6 and a steady average occupancy rate for the first nine months of the year at 69.1 per cent.

Haitham Mattar, CEO of the RAKTDA, said: “We are confident of meeting our 2018 visitor targets. We’re targeting further growth — with a goal of attracting three million visitors by 2025. We will achieve this by investing heavily in developing our attractions and adventure offerings.”