Ras Al Khaimah hosts roadshow in Europe to attract 1.5 million tourists by 2021

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, RAKTDA, has further strengthened its position in Europe with a multi-city roadshow in the UK and Germany recently that brought together more than 370 tour operators and travel agents.

In a bid to attract 1.5 million visitors by 2021, increased emphasis has been put on growing further awareness of the breadth of offer in key European markets.

The world's longest zipline at Jabel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah. File / WAM 

The European roadshow covered key cities including Hamburg, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, London, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Edinburgh to meet industry representatives and introduce Ras Al Khaimah’s diverse and spectacular beach, desert, mountain, and adventure offering.

Held at the Emirates Stadium in London and Edinburgh Castle, the roadshow allowed participants an opportunity to discover Ras Al Khaimah’s unique proposition and its tourism products via presentations, networking events, and interactive quizzes.

Haitham Mattar, CEO of RAKTDA, said, "With a unique combination of authentic Arabian hospitality, pristine beaches and outdoor adventure pursuits, Ras Al Khaimah has a great appeal to holidaymakers from all over Europe. We have seen a significant growth in the number of visitors from Europe over the last couple of years, and therefore, our ongoing roadshow programme is a great vehicle to tell the story of the accessible Arabian hospitality and year-round sunshine we offer visitors from this region and beyond."

Ras Al Khaimah beach. File / WAM

Germany continues to be the leading international source market with 83,531 visitors in 2018 and the UK was the third largest source market with 63,054 visitors. Ras Al Khaimah’s attractiveness amongst international tourists continues to be strong – accounting for 62 percent of overall visitors in 2018 – attributable to its 7,000 years of fascinating history, authentic Arabian culture and heritage.

WAM