Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) and Emirates have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at increasing visitor arrivals to Ras Al Khaimah from selected markets across the airline’s global network.
The agreement was signed at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026 by H.E. Phillipa Harrison, Chief Executive Officer of RAKTDA, and Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer.
The partnership will focus on joint destination marketing, travel-trade engagement and the development of products designed to encourage more international visitors to include Ras Al Khaimah in their UAE itineraries.
Joint campaigns and trade activity
Under the agreement, RAKTDA and Emirates will explore joint marketing and advertising campaigns in selected international markets.
The organisations will also cooperate on familiarisation programmes for travel-trade professionals and media. RAKTDA will support these visits with curated experiences designed to showcase the emirate’s attractions and tourism offering.
The partners will additionally consider multi-market campaigns targeting priority source markets, with both organisations sharing insights to identify traveller segments for future promotional activity.
New products for Emirates customers
The MoU also provides for the development of bespoke tourism products and packages for Emirates customers.
These offerings could be promoted through Emirates’ Dubai Experience platform, while incentives for tour operators and the wider travel trade will also be explored.
The approach is intended to connect Emirates’ international passenger network with Ras Al Khaimah’s expanding portfolio of leisure, nature and hospitality experiences.
Phillipa Harrison, CEO of RAKTDA, said the partnership would help connect Ras Al Khaimah with audiences in key international markets while creating longer-term value for tourism partners and giving travellers additional opportunities to explore the emirate.
Adnan Kazim said Emirates would support RAKTDA’s 2030 tourism ambitions through the airline’s network of close to 140 destinations, while encouraging visitors to include Ras Al Khaimah alongside other UAE destinations.
Destination development continues
Ras Al Khaimah is located about 45 minutes from Dubai International Airport and combines beaches, desert landscapes and mountain scenery, including Jebel Jais, the UAE’s highest mountain.
The emirate is also expanding its accommodation and visitor-experience offering, with new international hospitality developments contributing to the destination’s tourism pipeline.
RAKTDA reported that Ras Al Khaimah welcomed more than 1.35 million overnight visitors in 2025, an increase of 6% year on year. The authority has set an ambition of attracting more than 3 million visitors annually by 2030.
In the first half of 2026, the destination recorded more than 670,000 visitors, its strongest first-half performance to date, according to RAKTDA. New hotel projects and major developments are continuing to expand the emirate’s tourism capacity.
The new Emirates partnership adds an international aviation and distribution component to those efforts, using the airline’s global network and travel-trade relationships to support destination promotion and visitor growth.
