‘To Attract A Million Visitors By End 2018’

Indian arrivals at Ras Al Khaimah jumped 35 per cent between January and March and Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) CEO Haitham Mattar, tells Vaishali Dar that he expects the tourist traffic to only keep growing

India continues to be a significant source market.Which sector grew most?
Yes, India is a significant source market in terms of the number of visitors. The number of visitors from India rose 11 per cent in 2016 over 2015. Visitors from India to the emirate grew by 35 per cent between January and March 2017. The number of guest nights taken by Indian tourists grew 49.4 per cent in the same period, compared to the first three months of the 2016 calendar year.
The average length of stay of Indian guests in Q1 of the 2017 calendar year has grown by 10.6 per cent, especially from Indian inbound tourism for short leisure stays, MICE and the wedding sector. Our aim is to promote unique activities and events to encourage Indian travellers to lengthen their stay in the destination. India is expected to be an important contributor to the emirate’s vision, which expects to attract a million visitors from all source markets by end 2018.

How do you propose to promote the destination?
We are developing MICE tourism, key events, incentives and meetings into the region. The emirate has developed the first semi-permanent summit function space at the convention centre.

Do you plan to increase the room inventory?
Ras Al Khaimah boasts of a large portfolio of world-class hotels, including international brand names, such as Waldorf Astoria, Rotana and Hilton. From an inventory of 5,000 rooms last year, the destination is now looking at 9,500 rooms by 2017 end.
Some of our iconic properties like the Waldorf Astoria and Ritz Carlton have been home to some high-profile Indian weddings which have positioned us as a discerning wedding destination.

Any new activities for tourists this year?
We plan to host major international sporting events such as the Ras Al Khaimah 2016 Golf Challenge — the penultimate stop of the European Challenge Tour.

RAKTDA has outlined plans to enhance its sporting events portfolio and tourism products to leverage the emirate’s natural attributes. The region’s first commercial Via Ferrata and UAE’s largest outdoor zip line, just opened in Ras Al Khaimah.

Any other travel events lined up for the year?
We have signed an MOU with Outbound Tour Operators’ Association of India (OTOAI) to host a convention from September 12-14. The board is also hosting DRV from December 7-9 for 800 German travel trade professionals.