Massive passenger growth through Dubai has triggered a flood of investment into Ras Al Khaimah and the Northern Emirates to cope with the increasing spillover of tourists.
Hilton is one of the international hotel operators targeting growth in the northernmost emirate as it prepares to deliver about 20,000 new rooms across the Middle East and Africa over the next two years - effectively doubling the size of its regional operations.
"Dubai's occupancy does not allow for a lot of people to come and stay on a stopover if they don't have pre-arranged plans, so they will have to go to secondary locations," said Rudi Jagersbacher, the president of Hilton Worldwide, Middle East & Africa.
Hilton plans to add 600 rooms in Ras Al Khaimah this year, more than half of which will be in the new Waldorf Astoria.
Originally slated to open this spring, the 346-room Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah is now scheduled for a "soft opening" in August. It will be joined by a second Hilton resort in Al Hamra that is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter.
Hotels in the Northern Emirates are reporting rising occupancy levels as Dubai struggles to cope with rapidly rising tourist arrivals and transit passengers breaking their onward journeys in the city. Ramada Hotel & Suites said this week its Ajman property achieved 95 per cent occupancy last year as visitors flooded into the emirate.
Sharjah tourism officials yesterday also revealed a 14 per cent increase in the number of overnight stays to more than 612,000 room nights in the first quarter compared to a year earlier.
While rising hotel occupancy in Dubai diverts more business north, Ras Al Khaimah is also benefiting from rising passenger numbers through its own airport.
About 250,000 tourists visited RAK in this year's first quarter, according to Salem Sultan Al Qasimi, the vice chairman of RAK Airways.
"RAK is eager to tap into the tourism market and expand its wings," he said at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai yesterday. "We are expanding the airport and because there is great potential for tourism coming to the UAE we want to take part in that growth," he said.
About 40 per cent of visitors come from Germany, with the UK accounting for as much as 35 per cent of traffic to the emirate.
By 2021 RAK expects about 20 per cent of its GDP to be generated by tourism-related activities.
The UAE's hospitality market is forecast to have grown by some 67 per cent in the five years to 2016, generating some US$7.5 billion in receipts.
One of the biggest drivers of that growth will be the rapid expansion of carriers such as Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways, which are routing rising numbers of passengers on long-haul flights through Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Tourist arrivals are expected to grow by more than 5 per cent every year over the next decade, with the current hotel stock predicted to grow by more than a quarter to about 125,000 by 2016.
scronin@thenational.ae
lgutcher@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
Company%20profile
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More coverage from the Future Forum
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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Dunki
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20Profile
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THE BIG THREE
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
19 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 5 (2011, 14, 15, 18, 19)
French Open: 2 (2016, 21)
US Open: 3 (2011, 15, 18)
Australian Open: 9 (2008, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21)
Prize money: $150m
ROGER FEDERER
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 8 (2003, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 12, 17)
French Open: 1 (2009)
US Open: 5 (2004, 05, 06, 07, 08)
Australian Open: 6 (2004, 06, 07, 10, 17, 18)
Prize money: $130m
RAFAEL NADAL
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 2 (2008, 10)
French Open: 13 (2005, 06, 07, 08, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20)
US Open: 4 (2010, 13, 17, 19)
Australian Open: 1 (2009)
Prize money: $125m
SPECS
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Need to know
Unlike other mobile wallets and payment apps, a unique feature of eWallet is that there is no need to have a bank account, credit or debit card to do digital payments.
Customers only need a valid Emirates ID and a working UAE mobile number to register for eWallet account.
TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
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Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
· Have some background music on to help create a bit of ambience and fill any initial lulls in conversations.
· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.