RAK visitor numbers touch pre-Covid levels in H1

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) has clocked its highest visitor numbers since the onset of Covid-19, with the Emirate reporting visitor arrivals in line with pre-pandemic footfall during first six months of 2022.

The impressive H1 performance saw the Emirate welcome over 521,085 international and domestics visitors between January and June 2022, a total increase of 21 per cent vs H1 2021 and a return to pre-pandemic figures from YTD June 2019.

The Emirate’s strong performance in 2022 was bolstered by the opening of several new hotels and resorts, including Radisson Resort Ras Al Khaimah on Marjan Island, the InterContinental Mina Al Arab, the first InterContinental Hotels Group property in the Emirate, and most recently, the debut of Mövenpick at Al Marjan Island, located on a 300-metre stretch of golden shoreline and home to the largest floating water park in Ras Al Khaimah. The Emirate now boasts over 8,000 keys, with 4,617 new keys in the pipeline over the next few years.

Ras Al Khaimah has quickly become one of the most sought-after sustainable destinations in the Middle East, most recently being included in Time magazine’s World’s Greatest Places of 2022. The annual list, which features 50 must-visit global destinations, highlighted Ras Al Khaimah for its adventure offerings and stunning, unique topography and geodiversity. In recognition of the Emirate’s incredible natural surroundings, the Authority has continued its development of sustainable new attractions to draw visitors both locally and internationally.

A key new attraction to open was the Jais Sledder, the region’s longest toboggan ride, spanning over 1,840 exhilarating metres of hairpin curves and reaching speeds of up to 40 kilometres per hour. Jais Sledder has welcomed over 54,000 visitors since opening in February.

Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, said: “Ras A Khaimah is one of the first destinations in the region to recover to pre-Covid levels thanks to the agility of our tourism community during the pandemic.

“This is all the more remarkable given the current economic and geo-political landscape in which we operate that drives our focus on what’s important for long term resilience – diversification, community and sustainability. Our investment strategy, which focuses on exactly that, has been central to our fast rebound. We are on track to reach more than 1.11 million arrivals by the end of the year and to fully return to pre-pandemic levels in just two years.”