Ras Al Khaimah proving popular with British tourists

Paragliding from the United Arab Emirates’ highest peak, diving for scallops at the UAE’s first scallop farm, learning desert survival skills at the Bear Grylls Survival Academy or enjoying a luxury glamping experience – all are on offer to UK tourists in Ras Al Khaimah.

 

Image:  VisitRasAlKhaimah.com

A total of more than 20 sustainable tourism development initiatives – which also include the Wingsuit Diving Platform, the first base jump platform in the UAE for professional base jumpers and home to Khalifa Al Ghafri, also known as the ‘UAE Batman’ – have been announced which are designed to offer UK and global travellers safe and expansive experiences in the new normal of post-pandemic travel. Coupled with concerns over sustainability, the desire for social distance is likely to mean that tourists are no longer attracted to bustling cities and crowded beaches, seeking instead personal space and a closer connection to nature. This change in direction will further shine the spotlight on Ras Al Khaimah with its unspoiled landscape of desert, beach and mountains.

 

Raki Phillips, chief executive officer of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), said: “We have plenty to offer UK travellers including a strong focus on nature tourism from the Emirate’s 64km of pristine beaches, lush mangroves, vast desert dunes, the majestic Hajar mountains, including UAE’s highest peak – Jebel Jais. With 7,000 years of heritage to draw, we have a plethora of authentic Arabian experiences and cultural activities to offer as well. While privacy and social distancing will remain a significant concern in the short term, we will see a shift in appetite towards destinations and holidays that offer sustainability, authenticity and nature at its core – and Ras Al Khaimah can provide all this, and more, in abundance.”

 

Ras Al Khaimah, currently the Gulf Tourism Capital for 2021, is the first destination in the world to receive the World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Safe Travels certification, and since October has been offering free Covid PCR tests to inbound travellers, the first in the world to do this.