Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — At the annual GCC roadshow, Haitham Mattar, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) CEO, said “Saudi Arabia is the largest market in the Gulf region and that is why (RAKTDA) is eyeing the Saudi market by developing more touristic facilities and hotels that are meeting the requirements of Saudi families. In 2017 we have seen 19% increase in Saudis visiting Ras Al Khaimah to 5,000 tourists.”

Speaking to Saudi Gazette during the roundtable held on Tuesday, he said RAKTDA plans partnership with Saudi airlines to facilitate direct flights, adding that at the moment, they have partnerships with Emirates and Flydubai and further expands partnership with more airlines.

The roadshow is designed to build awareness and understanding of the breadth of offer in Ras Al Khaimah among trade and media partners and continue the upward trajectory in Saudi visitors to Ras Al Khaimah – up 14% in 2017.

Ras Al Khaimah owns diversity of the destination, which features pristine beaches, stunning desert landscape and the Hajar Mountains including Jebel Jais, the UAE’s highest peak. Also, recent opening of Jebel Jais Flight: The World’s Longest Zipline adds to its assortment.

Early last year, RAKTDA opened an office in KSA to support the tourism body’s promotional activities and trade partnerships.

Ras Al Khaimah’s hotel occupancies in 2017 throughout the year was 73.6% with growth of 3.5% versus 2016. Average length of stay also grew by 2.7% to 3.41 days showing the increasing appeal of the destination beyond the weekend break or staycation.