Phillipa Harrison, the former veteran Tourism Australia managing director and new CEO of the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, has reassured investors and tourists that her new Emirates home remains a safe and successful emirate in spite of the current conflict.
Harrison, who was with Tourism Australia for almost nine years took on the chief executive officer role of the one of the lesser-known of the seven United Arab Emirates in September last year.
In a video posted in Linkedin, which also features ruler Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Harrison shares an update on how the tourism sector is performing and its outlook for the future as the emirate faces “unique regional challenges”.
“Ras Al Khaimah and the wider UAE has always handled global disruptions with calm, unity and confidence, and even thrived through them,” she says.
“Today, we’re managing the challenges we face in the same spirit. From the onset, we have supported all of our visitors affected by flight disruptions, while national authorities have taken extensive measures to keep everyone in the UAE protected and informed.
“Ras Al Khaimah remains safe and stable. The reality on the ground is one of absolute continuity. Our public services and tourism facilities, including hotels, restaurants and attractions, are fully operational.”
Harrison said its tourism sector “continues to show remarkable resilience with ambitious development projects progressing at full speed”.
She adds that while flight connectivity is not yet at normal levels, national airlines are leading the way in scaling up operations and keeping the UAE globally connected.
“We remain fully committed to our industry partners, to our tour operators and travel advisors around the world,” she said. “Thank you for your continued promotion and support of Ras Al Khaimah. We are working shoulder to shoulder with our industry partners here in the UAE to ensure that we are ever ready to support our guests who continue to arrive in growing numbers every day, for our trade partners and future visitors, this means a destination that is reliable, ready and scaled for long term growth.
Looking ahead, Harrison said the outlook is “firmly optimistic”. There are plans to double the hotel keys in the emirate in the next three years and triple visitation by 2030.
Ras Al Khaimah’s airport passed one million arrivals last year for the first time, with ten new routes added over the past year. Scheduled services link to Saudi Arabia and India, alongside charter traffic from Poland, Romania, Russia and Uzbekistan.
“Ras Al Khaimah is investing boldly in its future with strategic expansion in hospitality and infrastructure. Our ambition is to shape an emirate that not only offers exceptional visitor experiences, but also long term value for investors, businesses and communities as we work towards fully restoring international visitation, we thank our tourism community and partners for your continued trust and support that you have expressed for us al Khaimah during this period, and we look forward to welcoming you here very soon.”
