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Double-digit growth across hotel key performance indicators - boosted by RAKTDA's tourism strategy
Ras Al Khaimah - UAE - Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (TDA), which develops the emirate's tourism infrastructure and oversees its domestic and overseas promotions, has revealed that total visitor arrivals between January and July 2016 increased by seven percent, compared to the same period in 2015, with further indicators foretelling another successful year for the region's fastest growing tourism destination. For the month of July 2016, the hotel occupancy for Ras Al Khaimah's hotels grew by 36.7 percent over July 2015 demonstrating increased demand for the emirate.
According to Ras Al Khaimah TDA figures, in addition to the emirate receiving more visitors, the length of stay during the first seven months of this year also increased. Total guest nights grew by 15.2 percent year-on-year, while the average length of stay in the Ras Al Khaimah's hotels climbed 7.7 percent.
Ras Al Khaimah's expanding hotel proposition experienced significant increases during the same period with hotel occupancy averaging 70 percent, marking a 15 percent growth on last year. RevPAR grew by 7.6 percent over the same period, with room revenue increasing by 10.6 percent. The key hotel performance indicators continue to show growth well above the GCC average.
Haitham Mattar, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority said: "With access to 64 kilometres of pristine beaches, a unique terracotta desert and the highest mountain in the UAE located just 45 minutes from Dubai International Airport, Ras Al Khaimah's hotels and resorts continue to grow from strength to strength. Our focus this year has been to heavily promote our new brand positioning which emphasises Ras Al Khaimah's natural assets, luxurious indulgence, range of activities for different types of travellers, history and culture, and authentic Arabian heritage offering."
The domestic UAE market continues to represent Ras Al Khaimah's largest source market representing over a third of all visitor arrivals year-to-date, while visitors from the GCC markets grew by 3.8 percent. Ras Al Khaimah's core international markets of Germany, UK, Russia and India continue to grow. Compared to last year, tourism from Europe to Ras Al Khaimah has grown by 45 percent, led by strong growth from Germany (68 percent) and the UK (33.2 percent). Additionally, Europeans are staying longer, with a growth of 38.2 percent in average length of stay to 6.2 days.
Reclaiming its spot as the third largest international market, Russian visitors grew by 3.2 percent over 2015. Indian visitor arrivals grew 20.7 percent over the same period, with Indian guests staying 10.5 percent longer than they did last year. Ras Al Khaimah is also witnessing rapid growth from emerging markets such as Scandinavia, Kazakhstan, Czech Republic and Poland.
"We are reaping the benefits of the strategic initiatives and dynamic marketing campaigns implemented over the last 12 months including the launch of Ras Al Khaimah's first Tourism Strategy. We have made significant strides in initiating strategic partnerships with airlines and tour operators to support our aim of diversifying source markets across Europe and Asia Pacific. We have also opened new representation offices in India, Russia and the UK to spread destination awareness, with plans to add local representation in China and Saudi Arabia to the network by the end of this year. Our promotional activities in the UAE and GCC have led to high occupancy rates throughout the year as visitors continue to see Ras Al Khaimah as the ideal getaway for staycations, activity, adventure and relaxation," added Mattar.
"The recent year-to-date results are a clear indication that the efforts undertaken with the support of our global stakeholders have been successful and a strong sign that we are on track to achieve our target of attracting one million visitors by the end of 2018."
Ras Al Khaimah currently offers more than 5,000 hotel rooms across 41 properties, with more than 3,000 rooms in the pipeline across 12 properties by 2019. Hotel capacity is expected to increase to 20,000 rooms by 2025. Many of these will be on Al Marjan Island, a stunning archipelago spanning 2.7 million square metres and extending 4.5km into the crystal blue Arabian Gulf.
As part of further plans to enhance the destination, Ras Al Khaimah TDA is also investing in world-class events and tourism products. Opening this year will be a series of new tourism offerings cantered on Jebel Jais, the UAE's highest mountain, as well as a busy calendar of sporting, leisure, cultural and business events.
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About Ras Al Khaimah
One of the world's fastest growing tourism destinations, Ras Al Khaimah boasts a rich culture and long-standing history dating back 7,000 years. The Emirate boasts an array of archaeological sites and breath-taking natural vistas, from golden sand beaches, awe-inspiring terracotta dunes and a green belt of date palms to Jebel Jais, the highest mountain in the UAE.
To learn more about Ras Al Khaimah, visit us at:
· www.facebook.com/visitrasalkhaimah
· www.youtube.com/visitrasalkhaimah
· https://twitter.com/raktourism
About Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (TDA)
The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (TDA) was established in May 2011 under the government of Ras Al Khaimah. In order to achieve target growth of one million visitors by the end of 2018, the authority aims to develop the emirate's tourism infrastructure and establish Ras Al Khaimah as a world-class destination for leisure and business travel, creating sustainable investment opportunities and enhancing the quality of life for its residents. In order to achieve its goals, the Ras Al Khaimah TDA has a government mandate to license, regulate and monitor the emirate's tourism and hospitality industry.
Follow Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority on twitter: @RAKTourism
For further information, please contact:
The MCS Action PR team
+971 (4) 390 2960
RAKTDA@actionprgroup.com
Neda Carrillo
Director of Corporate Communications & Public Relations
Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority
mediarelations@raktda.com
© Press Release 2016
