Ras Al Khaimah tourism revenue up 12.4% in 2015

Dubai: Ras Al Khaimah’s tourism revenue rose 12.4 per cent last year over 2014, the highest increase in five years, the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority said on Tuesday.

The growth in revenue was driven by a six per cent year-on-year increase in the number of visitors to 740,383 last year, according to a statement issued by the authority, which did not disclose the actual revenue figure.

Hotel occupancy in the emirate grew 9.7 per cent to 64.7 per cent in 2015. Average daily rate and food and beverage revenues rose 7 per cent and 14.4 per cent respectively during the same period, the authority said, without disclosing the actual figures.

Revenue per available room (RevPAR — an industry measure of occupancy and rates) increased 10 per cent year-on-year to Dh355.93 last year, while hotel room revenue was up 12.1 per cent. The actual figure was not disclosed.

The United Kingdom and India were the fastest growing source markets for the emirate, as visitor numbers from the two markets rose 24.7 per cent and 80 per cent in 2015. The authority, however, did not give the actual visitor numbers.

Domestic tourism also grew, although the authority did not say how much. It accounted for 47.7 per cent of total visitor numbers to Ras Al Khaimah last year.

“In 2016, we will further enhance our efforts to steadily diversify our visitor demographic, and focus heavily on showcasing Ras Al Khaimah’s global appeal through strategic partnerships with leading industry stakeholders and targeted in-market promotional activity,” stated Haitham Mattar, chief executive of the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority.

Ras Al Khaimah aims to attract one million visitors by the end of 2018.

“As the emirate continues its expansion plans to meet ambitious growth targets, we are broadening our rich offering through developing retail, dining, cruise, entertainment, and MICE [meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions] facilities, to further build Ras Al Khaimah’s position as a leading destination for business and leisure travel,” Mattar said.