TravTalk Middle East Online Magazine
RAKTDA announced a strong upturn in the emirate’s tourism and hospitality performance during the initial phase of recovery post the pandemic. The Authority had launched a range of far-reaching support initiatives, aimed at its hospitality, leisure and development partners, during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis to lay a strong foundation for future recovery.
Stringent safety measures were implemented across the emirate to safeguard guests and residents, leading to internationally renowned certifications and a quick bounce-back of its tourism industry.
Ras Al Khaimah’s key performance highlights during the initial phase of recovery include:
Ras Al Khaimah reported an average ADR increase of 12.9 per cent over Eid Al Adha break, the highest average room rate compared to the last three years under normal (non-pandemic) travel circumstances.
Despite the regional effects of the pandemic, Ras Al Khaimah leads in RevPAR in the UAE.
The ongoing ‘Shortcation’ campaign, which was launched in early June targeting domestic travel, drove bookings of almost 7,000 nights during the first eight weeks.
During Eid Al Adha holiday, Ras Al Khaimah hotels and resorts welcomed over 18,000 guests who chose the emirate as their preferred staycation destination.
The Jais Adventure Peak which has welcomed over 52,000 thrill seekers to date, reopened with strict sanitary measures and continues to receive visitors.
Ras Al Khaimah became the first city in the world to be certified as safe by Bureau Veritas and the first emirate to receive the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travels Stamp. RAKTDA has partnered with the National Crisis & Emergency Management Authority and Ras Al Khaimah Preventive Medicine Department to provide free COVID-19 PCR testing for all hospitality staff in the emirate.
All 45 hotels in Ras Al Khaimah have received the Bureau Veritas certification.
Al Hamra International Exhibition and Conference Center, the 50,000 square foot meeting facility, became the first conference center in the Middle East to be certified by Bureau Veritas.
Since April 2020, the Authority has conducted a series of destination focused webinars which showcased the emirate’s diverse offerings and resulted in training more than 4,000 travel partners.
