RAKTDA says that India being a major tourism source market for Ras Al Khaimah
Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) has reported its best year for tourism ever, welcoming a record 1.22 million overnight arrivals to the Emirate in 2023. This figure marks an increase of 8 pc compared to 2022 numbers and is bolstered by a significant 24 pc year-on-year pick-up in international visitors.
In a press statement, RAKTDA says a 24 pc increase in international visitors was registered, supported by over 2,200 international activities from roadshows and trade fairs to media events across 30 countries.
The Emirate has cemented its status as a business and social events hub with a 23 pc growth in MICE revenue and 103 pc increase in revenue from weddings, the statement adds.
The board says that Ras Al Khaimah also boosted international air connectivity with the introduction of direct flights by Qatar Airways, Indian carrier IndiGo, Smart Wings, Centrum Air and SmartLynx. Among one of its very significant initiatives, the borderless travel partnership with Oman Tourism Development Company for cross-destination tourism promotion and marketing initiatives, boosting visitor arrivals to Ras Al Khaimah and Musandam.
Raki Phillips
“It has been a great year for our Emirate, one that clearly set the groundwork for sustainable growth and development in Ras Al Khaimah. Despite global challenges that have impacted our industry, we remained agile and resilient as a tourism community, working together to deliver a destination offering that would resonate with our visitors and residents alike. From investing in infrastructure and staging world-class events to making our Emirate sustainable and accessible to all, Ras Al Khaimah is firmly on the path for continued success in 2024 and beyond,” says Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority.
RAKTDA says its efforts to promote the Emirate to an even broader global audience paid dividends in 2023, delivering 8 pc increase in total annual visitors to reach the 1.22 million milestone, supported by 24 pc boost in international visitors. Complementing this growth, hotel occupancy rate in the Emirate also saw a significant rise, with an impressive occupancy of 74 pc, marking a year-on-year growth of 12 percentage points.
Increasing airlift into Ras Al Khaimah, the new Qatar Airways daily service to Ras Al Khaimah International Airport opened up the Emirate to a network of 160-plus destinations globally via the airline’s Doha hub.
RAKTDA says that India being a major tourism source market for Ras Al Khaimah, particularly for leisure, incentives and weddings, introduction of a direct service by IndiGo from Hyderabad, adding to its direct Mumbai flight, helped accelerate arrivals growth. Moving from air to sea connectivity, Ras Al Khaimah welcomed six calls by four luxury cruise liners in H1 and will receive 14 luxury cruise calls this 2023/2024 season, growing to 20 by 2025/2026 and 50 by 2030/2031, bringing in cruise passengers that will further increase arrivals figures.
RAKTDA says that the Emirate outperformed the baseline average in three significant areas, reporting a performance that was better by 23 pc in energy consumption with savings of 12.4 gigajoules since 2021, 29 pc in greenhouse gas emissions equating to a saving of 1.8 million tonnes of CO2, and 61 pc in waste output, leading to savings of 420 million litres since 2021.
