Dubai: Ras Al Khaimah is expected to see visitor numbers go up 50 per cent to around 1.9 million this year, from 1.24 million in 2013, according to Steven Rice, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority.
The emirate is set to have five new hotels open this year, bringing the number of rooms in the market from 3,000 to over 5,000, says Rice. Over the next five years, the number of rooms in the emirate could reach 10,000, he said.
He estimates hotel revenue to grow by between 35 and 40 per cent this year over the previous year, which brought in $384 million (Dh1.4 billion).
Hotels that opened earlier this year include Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah, Rixos Bab al Bahr and DoubleTree Ras Al Khaimah and Ramada Hotel and Suites. These will be followed by the Bin Majid Hotels and Resorts’ Santorini hotel, which is likely to open on the man-made Marjan Island at the end of the year.
“We continue to look at developments such as Marjan Island, and get further developed in terms of investors and hotel brands that we are looking to bring into Marjan Island and the emirate,” Rice said.
Desert landscapes
Alongisde Marjan Island, the authority is looking to develop the natural sites of the emirate, including the mountains and desert landscapes.
“We are in active discussions with a number of potential investors who want to set up desert camp-style facilities and projects, and also people who are interested in developing the outdoor adventure profile of the mountains,” he said.
Meanwhile, the emirate is becoming more connected to other destinations. Carrier Air Arabia started its operations on Tuesday at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport with flights to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Muscat in Oman, Islamabad in Pakistan and Dhaka in Bangladesh.
