Ras Al Khaimah is celebrating further success this year as the emirate welcomes the results of its first Visitor Satisfaction Survey revealing that the majority of visitors to the region’s fastest growing destination were very satisfied, or satisfied, with their holiday in Ras Al Khaimah.

The survey, carried out by Nielsen on behalf of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), polled a sample of visitors through face-to-face exit or intercept interviews following their stay across a cross section of the emirate’s hotels. The results found that 85.5 per cent of those asked, rated the emirate eight or above in a ten point scale with ten being the highest for how satisfied they were with Ras Al Khaimah during their trip. In total, 96 per cent rated their stay seven or higher.

“The results of our first Visitor Satisfaction Survey are extremely encouraging and a strong indicator of the success RAKTDA and our partners have had with positioning Ras Al Khaimah as an all-round destination. When we delve into the results and look specifically at families, single travellers and couples, the results are comparable, with similar satisfaction feedback on their holidays,” said Haitham Mattar, CEO of RAKTDA.

“We work very closely with our tourism partners and government entities to continually enhance our tourism offering, meeting changing traveller demands to deliver an experience that goes beyond their expectations.”

Ras Al Khaimah continues appeal to a wealth of leisure travellers, with the survey showing that 95 per cent of visitors chose the emirate as a holiday destination. A further three per cent visited friends and family, while two per cent were staying in Ras Al Khaimah for business.

Hotel facilities, tour operations and attractions each led satisfaction rates; receiving similar positive feedback with 88 per cent, 87 per cent and 84 per cent saying they were either very satisfied, or satisfied, respectively.

When asked which activities they indulge in whilst staying in Ras Al Khaimah, the most popular was beach activities, with 85 per cent stating such. Other popular activities include visiting Iceland Water Park (45 per cent), spa and wellness (29 per cent), outdoor activities (24 per cent), and museums and historical sites (13 per cent).

Cultural attractions such as museums and historical places were more popular with international visitors, with UAE residents availing spa and wellness facilities while visiting Ras Al Khaimah.

The northern-most emirate welcomed 820,772 visitors last year, registering 2.73 million guest nights – 15.6 per cent higher than in 2015. During 2016, Ras Al Khaimah’s hotels registered an average occupancy of 71 per cent, and average length of stay of 3.32 days, up from 3.19 in 2015. Last year’s strong performance supports RAKTDA’s efforts in attracting one million visitors by the end of 2018.