Superlative labels like the country’s tallest, the world’s longest, and the region’s first are often used to describe ambitious new projects in the two largest and most famous cities of the United Arab Emirates – Dubai and Abu Dhabi. But the country’s fourth largest emirate and fifth most populous now wants tourists to start thinking of it first as a potential future holiday destination.
Ras al Khaimah occupies the far northern tip of the UAE’s territory, sharing part of the Musandam Peninsula (known locally as Rus al Jibal) with the small Omani exclave that straddles the strategically important gateway into and out of the carbon-rich Arabian Gulf. Although well known domestically, Ras al Khaimah does not roll of the tongue of of the jetsetting elite, nor would it normally ring a bell in the minds of regular holiday-goers outside of the immediate Gulf region.
However, with attractions like the highest peak in the UAE, the world’s longest zip line, a Bear Grylls-branded adventure camp that is the first of its kind in the Middle East, and the last remaining pearl farm in the UAE (an important link to Emirati history and heritage), Ras al Khaimah is well positioned to break out of the shadows and become a stand-alone, world-class tourist destination unto itself – and that is exactly what the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority is working hard to make happen.
While the more established cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi are susceptible to jokes by expats, tourists, and business travelers that they rarely see any Emiratis when visiting those emirates, Ras al Khaimah’s population, on the other hand, is a majority native Emirati and offers visitors a much more local and authentic experience.
But that does not mean that Ras al Khaimah lacks the glitz, glamor, and modernity of its more famous neighbors. The country’s first casino resort, to be run by Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts, is currently under construction in Ras al Khaimah and is scheduled to open by 2027. And just like in Dubai, the real estate on a series of artificial islands connected to the city’s growing coastline is getting snatched up quickly by investors as major regional and global hotel brands such Rixos and JW Marriott sign deals to move in and open up, joining the likes of Movenpick and Hilton who are already operating on the islands and Sofitel, Ritz-Carlton, Movenpick, and Waldorf Astoria just across the water on the mainland.
However, unlike other cities such as Las Vegas and Dubai to which its growth is now being compared, Ras al Khaimah is benefiting from planning, design, and construction technology that was not available when other such hotspots experienced their growth booms in decades past. EarthCheck, a sustainable tourism certification consultancy, is working closely with the emirate on environmentally friendly development, and accessibility experts were brought in to ensure that logistical accommodations for visitors with disabilities or impairments could be integrated into plans at an early phase.
Even the local four-legged residents are not being forgotten amid all the growth. Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority recently partnered with the RAK Animal Welfare Center to launch a new campaign called “Pause for Paws” to rescue, rehabilitate, and re-home stray animals, proving that no detail – or furry friend – is too small to be overlooked in this emirate’s masterplan to turn itself into a top-tier tourism destination within the region by the end of the decade.
Key Facts about Ras al Khaimah
Population: 400,000
Total GDP: $11.5 billion
Percent of GDP from tourism: 5%
Number of hotels across the emirate: 49
Number of those that are 5-star hotels: 10
Tourist arrivals in 2022: 1.13 million
Tourist arrivals in 2023: 1.22 million
Goal for tourist arrivals by 2030: 3 million
