Indian tourists flock to UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah

Ras Al Khaimah is looking to attract more Indian visitors as part of the emirate’s tourism push to boost economic development, the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) said in a statement on Thursday.

Indian visitors to the emirate grew by 35 percent in the first quarter of 2017, while the number of guests nights booked by Indian tourists rose 49.4 per cent year-on-year (YoY).

The average length of stay of Indian guests in Q1 2017 has also grown by 10.6 percent, the authority said.

“As part of our vision to attract one million visitors to Ras Al Khaimah by the end of 2018, India will be an important contributor, and is currently our fourth largest international source market,” Haitham Mattar, RAKTDA CEO, said in the statement.  

Ras Al Khaimah is seeing a growing trend from Indian inbound tourism for short leisure stays, MICE (meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions) and in the wedding sector, he added, noting that many hotel properties in the emirate have hosted high-profile Indian weddings.

“The outbound wedding business from India was estimated at $40 billion last year, and we are well positioned to tap into this segment,” Mattar said.

Ras Al Khaimah received 821,000 visitors in 2016, up 10.9 percent YoY, real estate consultancy CBRE said in a report in February, citing official data.

The emirate’s hotels recorded an average occupancy rate of over 73 percent in Q4 2016.

While the United Arab Emirates remains the main source of demand for Ras Al Khaimah’s tourism industry, key international source markets include the UK, India, Germany and Russia.

As part of its efforts to attract more visitors, Ras Al Khaimah plans to open the world’s longest zip line this year, as well as launch official cycling and hiking routes across the emirate with a focus on Jebel Jais, the United Arab Emirates’ highest mountain peak, RAKTDA said.