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25 new hotels to be built in RAK

RAS AL KHAIMAH — Twenty-five new hotels will be built in Ras Al Khaimah in the near future as part of a massive drive to expand its tourism sector.

The tourism sector in RAK has grown exponentially over the past two years since the government implemented its new developmental vision, pivoting mainly on tourism and industrial investments. The completion of several mega tourism projects like the Al Hamra Village, Mina Al Arab, Al Marjan Island and the Saraya Islands will provide a quantum leap in the number of hotel rooms and leisure facilities available in the emirate.

"Around 25 major hotel projects are under various stages of implementation in the emirate. Our strategy is to make Ras Al Khaimah a year-round international tourist destination,” said Dr Khater Massaad, adviser to RAK Crown Prince and CEO of RAK Investment Authority (RAKIA), which is overseeing many major tourism projects. He also said that the five-star hotel projects would be completed within the next five years.

Among the leading hotel brands coming to RAK is the Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, which will set up a luxury resort in Ras Al Khaimah.

Mina Al Arab, the Dh10 billion mega lifestyle development project of RAK Properties, which is currently under way in RAK, will feature a number of themed resort hotels and two eco-hotels that will provide an estimated 3,500 sumptuous rooms for tourists and visitors of the emirate.

The $1.5 billion Saraya Islands' project works will start in October this year and will add another four five-star hotels and leisure facilities to the emirate's tourism offerings. The Saraya Islands project is a joint initiative of the RAK Government, Saraya Holdings and Arab Bank. The Maurizio Papiri-designed 450 room Al Hamra Palace is under construction and will be operational by late 2007.