As hospitality and tourism activity picks up in parts of the Northern Emirates, Ras Al Khaimah is expecting to receive 850,000 visitors by the end of the year, up 16 per cent compared to the same period in 2014.

During the third quarter of 2015, the emirate welcomed 199,392 tourists, an increase of 14 per cent compared to the same period in 2014, with the key source market being UAE achieving 49 per cent of total visitors. Germany remains the top international inbound market with 9 per cent of visitors, followed by the UK, Russia and India. Hotel key performance indicators across Ras Al Khaimah showcased increases in Q3 2015 compared to Q3 2014; occupancy rates stood at 58 per cent while ADR's achieved $136, an increase of 7 percentage points and 18 per cent respectively, resulting in RevPAR levels reaching $79, a significant increase of 36 per cent compared to the same period in 2014.

The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority recently announced its vision for 2018 to promote growth and diversification across the emirates tourism sector. The targets outlined by the 2018 vision include attracting one million visitors by 2018 and increasing the average length of stay from 3.1. to 3.6 days. Furthermore, Ras Al Khaimah expects to add approximately 3,600 hotel rooms by 2019 - up from a current supply of approximately 5,000 hotel rooms - including a Marriott hotel of 300 keys and Anantara Mina Al Arab comprising of approximately 225 keys, which are both slated to open in 2018.

Ajman has also been working on launching a new destination brand, which is expected to promote and embody true Emirati hospitality and support the tourism vision of Ajman to attract 5 million visitors to the emirate by 2021.

On the hotel development side, the 252 key Fairmont Ajman that opened in Q2 2015 remains the most recent hotel opening, however hotel developments in the pipeline include the recently announced 182 key R Hotel, expected to open in 2017 increasing the existing supply of approximately 3,500 hotel establishment keys.

Earlier in the year the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority announced its tourism vision 2021, a strategy aimed to attract 10 million tourists to the emirate by 2021 by promoting innovation, world class tourism facilities, and building on its existing cultural hub status to market the destination as a place ideal for families. The emirate is also looking at ways to increase tourism numbers through cruise ship passengers, as the emirate prepares to host approximately 80,000 cruise ship passengers in the upcoming 2015-2016 season. Latest additions to the hotel development pipeline in Sharjah include the 349 key Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & Spa. – TradeArabia News Service