Dubai: Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah are upbeat about attracting more visitors. Tourism authorities of both the emirates are participating at the World Travel Market, which is taking place in London until Thursday.
The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority announced its vision on Wednesday at the World Travel Market to attract one million visitors by the end of 2018.
Under the vision, the emirate will also increase the average length of stay from 3.1 days to 3.6 days and encourage repeat visits.
“Ras Al Khaimah has already been recognised as the fastest growing emirate in terms of tourism. Under the guidance of His Highness Shaikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, the emirate has seen impressive growth in visitor numbers across all of our top source markets, and we have laid out the Vision for 2018 to further build on this success,” Haitham Mattar, CEO of the authority, said in a statement.
To achieve its tourism vision, Ras Al Khaimah will focus on three key areas. First, it will broaden the emirate’s offerings, with a focus on business, culture and heritage events. Second, it will diversify its source markets. And third, it will boost its marketing efforts on rebranding and improving insights into travel trends and the travel habits of visitors to Ras Al Khaimah.
Meanwhile, the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) said that the emirate is upbeat about attracting more visitors from international markets this year.
Sharjah aims to attract 10 million tourists to the emirate under the Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021. Its four key pillars are to promote the emirate as an ideal family tourism destination, adopt an innovative tourism approach, develop its tourism facilities and capabilities, and strengthen Sharjah’s position as an international cultural hub.
“The SCTDA’s participation in international exhibitions and events is focused on strengthening the emirate’s tourism industry in the global markets and promoting the major development projects adopted by the Authority to enhance the tourism experience,” stated Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, chairman of the authority.
