Of ‘shortcations,’ luxury, and sustainable tourism: RAK holds the keys

Ras Al Khaimah, one of the fastest-growing tourist destinations in the region, is also focused on sustainable development in line with the UAE’s commitment towards climate change and Net Zero as the country hosts the COP28 global UN climate change conference later this year.
Speaking about climate change and Net Zero in relation to tourism promotion on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market 2023 in Dubai, Al Arabiya English spoke to Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), on Tuesday.
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“We made a commitment a year ago in order to be the first certified sustainable destination in the region. And what that means is we partnered with a company called the EarthCheck that was globally recognized to help us achieve specific goals aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations,” said Phillips.
In the case of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, they have 30 companies and entities across the emirate that have all signed up a pledge in order to be able to achieve this. The CEO revealed that “we are going through our certification process as we speak, covering all three elements that make up sustainability — whether it’s cultural sustainability, economic sustainability, or environmental sustainability.”
“And the RAKTDA is overseeing this process in order to ensure that by COP 28 , we have everything aligned, and that we are a certified destination. Our focus is now very much aligned with that.”

Main travel trends, uptick in figures

Phillips looked back at the lessons that the organization experienced dring COVID-19. “So I think there’s a couple of things that the pandemic has taught us. One is, people can work and vacation at the same time out of anywhere in the world. So we saw a ‘digital nomad’ migration where people were looking for a place to work, live, and play, whether it’s for an extended period or a short time. People have learned that as long as they have their laptops, they have their phones, they have good Wi Fi, they can connect and Ras Al Khaimah was an excellent destination for that throughout the past couple of years, and it continues to grow.”

Jais Sledder. (Supplied)

From pristine beaches to rugged mountains and luxury resorts to wilderness camps, the Ras Al Khaimah promises rewarding experiences and luxury for all travellers, which led to the emirate being included in Time magazine’s World’s Greatest Places of 2022 and CNN Travel’s best destinations to visit in 2023.

Mountain biking. (Supplied)

Phillips said: “We have a variety of offerings for our tourists from all over the world – which a very diversified client base. In terms of the the hotel offerings, we have uber luxury hotels like the Ritz-Carlton, the Waldorf Astoria, the InterContinental, to our midscale brands, like the Radisson, Hampton by Hilton, and even to our glamping offerings, or the Longbeach Campground or Banan Beach camping resort.”

Phillips also spoke about the new hotels that are coming on board. “We have the Anantara and Mina Al Arab, opening later this year as well as the Sofitel. And next year, we have the Westin as well opening. So there are many great hotel options. So I think when people want to escape and be one with nature, Ras Al Khaimah is the first that comes to their minds.”
For Ras Al Khaimah, the CIS market continues to be a big market. “Germany, UK, India, Kazakhstan — our markets have been able to drive growth. But we’ve also been very focused on new markets, like the GCC. Poland and the Czech Republic are markets that have grown substantially over the last few years. And so for us. that is our priority.”

A few months ago, the emirate had announced that Qatar Airways was flying direct to RAK airport, which was big news. “And now we're focused with them on where the feeder markets are coming so that we can put the marketing efforts towards that.”

Manar Mall Promenade. (Supplied)

When talking about the rising number digital nomads, RAKTDA CEO credits the UAE’s visa policy which he said has also helped definitely. “I think the UAE is seen as a progressive nation that is very business friendly, that is safe, and very focused on investor returns. I don't think you could find a better destination globally that has eased up the visa restrictions, allowing visa upon arrival etc.”
He cited the example closer to home of the Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ) “where you can set up a company in a very quick period of time. RAKEZ has done” phenomenally well and it's attracted a lot of people.”
Talking about other big markets, Phillips said: “India is a big focus of ours since it is a large market and that number is continuously growing, and proximity is very close. Indian weddings are huge affairs. We have seen a big interest, apart from the big potential of the MICE sector. You do find a lot of Indians that are looking to vacation during summer, or what they like to do is they like to combine it with other destinations. So they could be flying to RAK and then connecting to other destinations. And we've also, you know, been focused on air lift coming in from India and worked with several airlines to be able to achieve that.”
“When you even just think of the number of Indians who hold passports, it's a very small number, but we know that that number is continuously growing. So for us, India is a key focus.”

Successful short stays campaign

Domestically, Ras Al Khaimah has for some years been a favorite desination. “The domestic market is a key for us,” said Phillips. “When you think of a place in the Emirates for you to escape for your staycation — or as we like to call it ‘shortcation’ — because of the short distance from the other emirates to us, there’s no other place that offers what RAK can offer, with Jebel Jais being the highest mountain in the UAE; and the variety of hotel options in the emirate that will continue to grow.”
For those hooked to hiking up Jebel Jais, he said “we've had tremendous enhancements on our hiking trails, and we have a new road that cuts through the mountain, which has reduced the drive time up the mountain significantly.”

“Preserving nature as well as providing amenities has been our goal as we develop and expand. Even our hiking trails are absolutely incredible and done in a way where they're really integrated with nature.”
And what have been the other learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic and slowdown? The CEO of RAKTDA said what they learned was, if you make calculated smart decisions, you can see a much faster recovery and a more positive impact. “So when the pandemic hit, we had a stimulus package that we launched for all of our non-government owned businesses in tourism and hospitality, that helped really drive up business. We pivoted and focused on the domestic market, where pre-pandemic domestic market was less than 40 percent of our overall business. During the pandemic, we doubled the number of visitors and continues still today to be one of our big focuses.”

Aiming for 5 mln visitors by 2030

Last year, Ras Al Khaimah as a destination attracted 1.1 3 million tourists, which was higher than pre-pandemic levels. “So we were one of the fastest recovering destinations globally. But when we look at just our quarter one results this year, we’re 13 percent ahead of last year. So we're seeing, you know, the year starting off really well, and we have a lot of potential growth that’s happening,” said Phillips.

Al Rams – Suwaidi Pearl farm. (Supplied)

“So I'm quite optimistic that we're on the track to be able to get to 1.2 million tourists by the end of the year. And by the end of the decade, you know, we’re now studying what that final number would be. But I think by the end of the decade, we could easily be over 5 million tourists.”

Waldorf Astoria Beach. (Supplied)

In terms of investment into the tourism sector, Phillips said that RAKTDA was “definitely focused on developing more nature-driven attractions on Jebel Jais. We also are focused on the conservation and restoration of our cultural sites. We have four sites that are on the tentative UNESCO heritage list. And then obviously the development of hotels and attractions on Al Marjan Island.”
Phillips said the other thing that “we’re focused on was accessible travel. We know that is a $8 billion a year business globally. To make the destination more accessible to people with specific needs — you know, being more inclusive.”
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