Travelsmart
Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority has announced its highest hotel occupancies in a quarter, averaging 79.4 per cent in the first three months of the year.
The figures which are up four per cent versus the same period in 2017 have been driven by ever growing visitor numbers in the region’s fastest growing tourism destination.
Overall visitor numbers increased by 12 per cent in the first quarter versus 2017.
This was largely driven by growth from international markets, which rose 18 per cent year-on-year and now account for 70 per cent of the total visitor arrivals to the Emirate.
The UK and Nordics performed particularly strongly up 18 per cent and 26 per cent respectively year on year, while visitors from Poland grew by 46 per cent and Czech Republic by 34 per cent.
The figures reinforce Ras Al Khaimah’s position as one to watch on the global stage, with quarter one progress well above the UNWTO forecasted global tourism growth of four per cent in 2018.
The news was shared at the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference which is being hosted in Ras Al Khaimah for the first time this year.
Hotel performance indicators in the Emirate also continued their upward trajectory with the average length of stay increasing to 3.7 days year-to-date, an increase of 4.5 per cent versus 2017, marking positive news for investors and hotel operators at AHIC.
RAKTDA is also working on the development of a luxury camp project in Jebel Jais and is in talks with hotel operators and investors for this unique, eco-tourism project which complements the array of adventure tourism attractions that the Emirate is becoming globally known for.
Haitham Mattar, chief executive of RAKTDA, said: “We’ve had a strong start to the year which is important as we look towards our goal of one million visitors by the end of 2018 and 2.9 million by 2025.
“Our hotel performance is a key indicator of our propensity to grow and with record hotel occupancies recorded in quarter one we need to continue our focus on meeting increased visitor demand with a broader range of accommodation.”
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