RAK, Fujairah gear up for tourist influx ahead of 2020

Dubai - The emirates of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) and Fujairah are beefing up their tourism facilities in anticipation of a massive influx of people as the country approaches Dubai Expo 2020, according to local tourism officials.

Haitham Mattar, CEO of RAK’s Tourism Development Authority, said that RAK has already begun to see significant growth, with a 17 per cent increase in the number of visitors this quarter compared to last year. With a 44 per cent revenue increase for hotels, RAK was named one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world.

In 2014, RAK recorded 2.4 million guest nights at local hotels, a 72 per cent increase from 2013. Mattar said the emirate is currently negotiating deals with regional and international airlines to allow a steady influx of tourists to arrive directly in RAK.

According to Mattar, the opening of RAK as an operational base for airlines could eventually support 400,000 visitors flying in and out of the emirate on a yearly basis.

“Our vision for the next four years is to really build Ras Al Khaimah as a boutique tourist destination that complements what the other emirates have to offer,” he added.

“We are working with Emirates Airlines and the tourism authorities here in Dubai.” Mattar said that RAK has already seen a significant increase in tourists from “new” markets, including an 81 per cent increase in Indian tourists, a 63 per cent increase from China, and a 51 per cent increase from GCC countries, particularly from Oman.

As part of their expansion, on Tuesday, RAK announced that the emirate will be adding a 300-room, five-star Marriott, which is expected to open in 2019. “We’re very much looking forward to the entry of this great flagship hotel into our market,” he said. Mattar added that RAK’s unique topography will likely be a major selling point for foreign tourists interested in exploring the emirate. “The proximity of the Hajjar Mountains, the desert and the beaches gives you the ultimate experience,” he said. “Technically, you can do all these within a day.” 2m tourists expected in Fujairah

Saeed Al Samahi, the Director-General of the Tourism and Antiquities Authority of Fujairah, said the Emirate expects to receive around two million tourists per year by 2020.

“If we are lucky, we’re looking at two million tourists in five years, because every year we see a footfall of 1.3 to 1.2 million,” he said. “So if we increase to two million it would be very good for us.”  Samahi said that Fujairah’s current hotel capacity of 3,000 rooms is likely to increase to 5,000 by 2020, with the number of hotels increasing from 31 to 38 over in the next two or three years. “Fujairah has a very strategic location, so by 2020 we hope that the numbers will increase, both for guest nights and for day visitors,” he said. “Fujairah is always changing and growing with tourism projects.” - bernd@khaleejtimes.com