Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority Targets Saudi Travellers During Annual Gcc Roadshow

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), the government body which is responsible for developing the UAE Emirate's tourism infrastructure and promoting the destination in key markets, visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia this week as part of its annual GCC roadshow.  The roadshow is designed to build awareness and understanding of the breadth of offer in Ras Al Khaimah amongst trade and media partners and continue the upward trajectory in Saudi visitors to Ras Al Khaimah – up 14% in 2017. 

With RAKTDA aiming to attract 1 million visitors by the end of 2018, the growth of tourism from the GCC, particularly KSA, has never been more important.  The roadshow brought to life the accessibility and unique diversity of the destination which features pristine beaches, stunning desert landscape and the Hajar Mountains including Jebel Jais, the UAE’s highest peak.  RAKTDA also shared the latest tourism developments with travel stakeholders in the Kingdom including the evolution of its adventure tourism offer with the opening of Jebel Jais Flight: The World’s Longest Zipline and the growth plans for its luxury accommodation portfolio. 

Haitham Mattar, CEO of RAKTDA said: “Over the last few years, we have seen more and more visitors from Saudi enjoying the relaxation, luxury and rich hospitality in Ras Al Khaimah.  As a family friendly destination, just 45 minutes from Dubai International Airport, we offer a familiar culture and wealth of activities for visitors of all ages that is very compelling for GCC travellers. We are also increasingly known as the home of adventure sports in the region with hiking, biking and climbing in the Hajar Mountains and the recent opening of the world’s longest zipline that will appeal to visitors from Saudi looking for adventure.”

“Our annual roadshow gave us the opportunity to bring to life our latest offer to stakeholders in Saudi and help enable ongoing visitor growth through strategic partnerships and agreements with in-market tour operators.”

Early last year, RAKTDA opened an office in KSA to support the tourism body’s promotional activities and trade partnerships and further tap into the Kingdom’s high potential outbound market. A team of dedicated trade promotion, MICE and business development staff are responsible for managing ongoing initiatives to drive further awareness and consideration of Ras Al Khaimah amongst key audience groups.

Ras Al Khaimah’s continues to boost its tourism offerings and witnessed strong growth in hotel occupancies in 2017, with the average occupancy throughout the year at 73.6% - a growth of 3.5% versus 2016.  Average length of stay also grew by 2.7% to 3.41 days showing the increasing appeal of the destination beyond the weekend break or staycation.