The UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) drew more than 670,000 visitors in the first half of 2026, its strongest first-half performance on record, the emirate’s tourism authority said in a press release seen by Emerging Travel.
Domestic arrivals rose 47% year on year, with May the single strongest month in the destination’s history. International volumes were held back by regional conflict, which disrupted travel flows across the Gulf through the period.
Average daily rate held in line with 2025, indicating the domestic surge was delivered without material discounting.
The RAK Moments domestic campaign accounted for much of the volume, generating 224,000 room nights and AED104.4mn ($28.4mn) in room revenue in the second quarter, alongside 127,817 incremental visitors, up 67.1% year on year. The campaign was distributed through Wego, Expedia, Booking.com, Cleartrip, Almosafer and Yandex.
Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority chief executive Phillipa Harrison said the emirate was “entering its next phase of growth with real momentum”.
Two openings are due before the end of the year. Rotana Ras Al Khaimah – The Mangroves arrives in the third quarter with 258 keys at Al Qawasim Corniche, carrying one of the emirate’s largest pillar-free ballrooms, ten meeting rooms and a dedicated alfresco events space, aimed squarely at MICE, social events and destination weddings. SAIJ Mountain Lodge by Mantis, the first mountain lodge on Jebel Jais, is tracking a fourth-quarter opening built around organic farming, guided treks, beekeeping, stargazing and wellness programming.
Two existing properties are out of full inventory. Pullman Resort Al Marjan Island reopens in the first quarter of 2027 after a full refurbishment. At Rixos Al Mairid, rooms and suites in the main building are under renovation to the fourth quarter of 2026, with villas, beachfront and selected dining venues trading throughout.
Wynn Al Marjan Island remains on track for 2027 with the resort has signing immersive theatre company Punchdrunk for its first MENA production, conceived and directed by founder Felix Barrett with Wynn Resorts chief executive Craig Billings, offering audiences a choice of seated performance or free-roaming route. Confirmed food and beverage across the resort’s 22 restaurants, lounges and bars includes a steakhouse from Alain Ducasse and the first international outpost of Delilah.
Master developer Marjan is progressing Marjan Beach, an 85mn sq ft masterplan comprising eight neighbourhoods, 22,000 residential units and 12,000 hotel keys. RAK Central Square, the emirate’s first Grade A office scheme, reached 25% overall construction in June and is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2027. Ras Al Khaimah’s GDP reached $13bn in 2025 on growth of 4.3%.
At Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, a VVIP terminal developed with Falcon Executive Aviation is set to open in early 2027, and Duty Free Americas has been appointed travel retail partner.
Ras Al Khaimah Transport Authority is building out an integrated network centred on Al Marjan Island, with three new transit stations, autonomous shuttles moving to commercial operation later in 2026 and Skyports air taxi services targeted from 2027. A memorandum of cooperation with the Dubai Maritime Authority is intended to ease yacht and leisure boat movement between the two emirates. Journey planning, booking and payment run through Sayr, the authority’s mobility platform.
Action Flight Aviation and BLINC Space have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch a commercial astronaut training programme from the second half of 2026, covering G-force conditioning through aerobatic flight, zero-gravity parabolic flights and advanced freefall.
On the marketing side, RAKTDA has appointed Emma Campbell as chief marketing officer from the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, following earlier roles at Tourism Fiji and VisitScotland, and named M+C Saatchi Group Middle East as creative agency partner on a three-year retainer covering the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Germany, India, China, Russia and Kazakhstan. The emirate is targeting 3.5mn visitors annually by 2030.