Ras Al Khaimah to focus on developing its burgeoning cruise sector

RAKTDA will work with Zaiton Consultancy to develop a strategy and infrastructure

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), in partnership with RAK Ports, is to partner with Zaiton Consultancy to support the emirate’s aim of developing its cruise tourism offering.

Dubai- based Zaiton Consultancy specialises in developing and promoting cruise services, and will be responsible for building and marketing Ras Al Khaimah’s cruise sector.

One of the tourism industry’s fastest growing sectors, cruise saw an annual passenger growth rate of 5% from 2009 to 2019, with figures now approaching pre-pandemic levels.

In recognition of the importance of cruise tourism, the RAKTDA and RAK Ports have worked  on a number of projects including the transformation of the old ferry terminal into a cruise passenger terminal and the development of marine transport infrastructure around it.

The RAKTDA has also invested in designing bespoke visitor itineraries for arrivals to attract a larger segment of leisure cruise passengers and welcome new audiences from across the world to the destination.

A key part of RAKTDA’s strategy to attract three million visitors a year by 2030 is to ensure accessibility via all means of transport, including luxury cruise ships. These passengers will be welcomed to the Emirate via the dedicated terminal, which is able to accommodate multiple cruise ships of up to 214m in length.

RAKTDA executive director Destination Tourism Development & MICE Iyad Rasbey said: “We are ready to receive the world’s most elite cruise ships and showcase our beautiful Emirate to this growing segment of travellers.

“We’ve seen first-hand the significance of cruises to the destination’s overall tourism ecosystem. We also recognise that water transportation is becoming increasingly important in terms of connectivity and will support our aviation strategy in bringing tourists directly to Ras Al Khaimah.”

He added: “With its wealth of experience and recognition within the cruise industry, Zaiton Consultancy is the perfect partner to take our strategy to the next stage. We look forward to working with the team to boost cruise tourism in the Emirate and attract new audiences from across the world.”

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Zaiton Consultancy executive director Jasem Zaiton said: “It is a huge honour to work with Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority and RAK Ports to develop and market the Emirate’s growing cruise proposition. With an initial strategy based around smaller passenger ships before moving our focus to mainstream cruise liners, we will bring our global expertise to market Ras Al Khaimah’s truly unique offering and one-of-a-kind experiences to cruise passengers around the world.”

The development authority said the port facilities are currently suited to luxury, discovery and expedition cruisess, with smaller ships reflecting the Emirate’s commitment to sustainability and its mission to ensure its travel and tourism sector is developed with environmental protection as a priority.

The emirate aims to attract 50 explorer and expedition cruises each season and 10,000 passengers within the next few years with a focus on the onshore experience and excursions.

For more information, visit www.visitrasalkhaimah.com