RAK eyes 6,000 Russian tourists in next six months

Up to 6,000 Russian tourists are forecast to visit the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah over the next six months as a result of a new charter flight agreement with one of the Eastern European giant's biggest travel operators, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAK TDA) said.

The first Russian charter flight landed in RAK this week as part of RAK TDA’s agreement with operator Pegas Touristik.

In cooperation with Orenair and Nordwind Airlines, a weekly charter flight will operate from the Russian cities of Syktyvkar and Kemerovo.

“Russia is one of the top five source markets for Ras Al Khaimah and this new direct charter flight service is a strategic step in achieving our goal of 1.2m visitors by 2013,” said Victor Louis, Chief Operating Officer at RAK TDA.

The RAK TDA was set up in May 2011 to help boost the emirate’s tourism sector. It aims to increase the total number of hotel and resort rooms to 10,000 by 2016.

In 2011 Ras Al Khaimah received 835,200 visitors compared to 600,000 visitors in the year 2010.