Dubai: Ras Al Khaimah attracted 26,485 visitors during the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, which started on July 28, according to data by the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority.
Occupancy reached 70 per cent, and visitors delivered 60,000 guest nights (a guest night spent is each night a tourist stays in an accommodation). During the Eid weekend (July 29-31), though, hotels in the emirate, which is only 45 minutes away from Dubai, were busy as 13,600 guests checked in, resulting in an occupancy rate of 82.5 per cent. Visitors delivered 27,147 guest nights.
The authority did not release last year’s Eid Al Fitr visitor numbers.
The UAE was the top source market for Ras Al Khaimah hotels, followed by the UK, Germany, India and Egypt.
“Ras Al Khaimah is an attractive destination for residents of the UAE and tourists from Europe, especially from France, Germany and Sweden,” said Christopher Hewett, senior consultant at TRI Hospitality Consulting.
This year, the authority expects visitor numbers to grow by 50 per cent to around 1.9 million, from 1.24 million in 2013.
Five new hotels have planned to open this year, bringing the number of rooms in the market from 3,000 to over 5,000, according to Steven Rice, the authority’s chief executive. These include Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah, Rixos Bab al Bahr, DoubleTree Marjan Island, Ramada Hotel and Suites and Bin Majid Hotels and Resorts’ Santorini hotel on the man-made Marjan Island. By 2019, the number of rooms could reach 10,000, he said.
The authority is ramping up its efforts to boost the emirate’s tourism sector. It is looking to develop the natural sites of the emirate, including the mountains and desert landscapes.
