Ras Al Khaimah tourism recovery is expected to be complete by 2027, according to Marjan, the master developer behind Al Marjan Island, RAK Central and the emirate’s Jebel Jais adventure programme. Alison Grinnell, Group Chief Operating Officer of Marjan and CEO of Marjan Hospitality, told Gulf News the emirate should be back to pre-conflict visitor numbers next year as Wynn Al Marjan Island approaches its opening — and that none of the group’s capital plans have been slowed by the regional disruption of the past few months.
Green Shoots After a Hard Six Months
The immediate hit to Ras Al Khaimah’s hospitality sector was the loss of international visitors. Hotels responded by turning hard towards the domestic and regional market, promoting the emirate to UAE residents and GCC travellers as a staycation destination.
“All of our hotels had an immediate action plan to be able to promote Ras Al Khaimah within the UAE and within the GCC to really focus on that staycation business,” Grinnell said. “That has really supported us and supported the destination over the difficult few months that we’ve had behind us.”
International travellers, tour operators and transient guests are now returning, though volumes remain below the same period last year. “Is it in the numbers that we had this time last year? No, it’s not. But I think there is a good reason for positivity,” she said, adding: “I think we’ll be pretty much back to pre numbers in 2027. But it all depends on what happens in the next three to four months.”
Russia and the wider CIS region have been the first major international market to come back — helped by a short booking window of roughly two to four weeks, against the longer lead times typical of Western European travellers who have been more cautious about committing in advance. Grinnell also credited restored airline capacity, noting that Emirates is flying at close to full capacity to most countries.
Jebel Jais Reopens in Early November
For travellers, the most immediately useful detail is that parts of Jebel Jais have been temporarily closed while development work takes place, and those areas are expected to reopen in early November — right as the cooler outdoor season begins.
What reopens will be a more structured mountain offering rather than a scattering of individual attractions. Marjan’s Jebel Jais programme includes an 80km Grand Loop linking existing and new trails, plus a planned five-day Via Ferrata extending up to 20km across four sections of varying difficulty. New climbing routes, trail rehabilitation, mountain rescue support, wayfinding and food-and-beverage concepts on the mountain are all part of the build-out.
“It’s adding a number of experiences together that give a much more structured offering,” Grinnell said. Environmental monitoring is also part of the programme, following a survey of the mountain’s plant, bird and mammal populations.
Beyond Wynn: Marjan Beach, RAK Central and Branded Living
Wynn Al Marjan Island remains the headline milestone, and Grinnell expects it to change the visitor mix outright — both because Wynn arrives with its own customer base and because gaming is a new category of entertainment in the UAE that will pull travellers from gaming-centric markets. But she was firm that it is not the whole story. “Wynn is a major project for Ras Al Khaimah, but it is not the only project,” she said.
Marjan Beach is being developed as a mixed-use waterfront district spanning eight neighbourhoods, with three kilometres of beach frontage, 6.5 million square feet of open green space, roughly 22,000 residential units and 12,000 hotel keys. Planned capacity is around 74,000 residents and a workforce of 32,000, with the completed district expected to handle up to 180,000 visitors a year. Discussions are under way with, in Grinnell’s words, “probably all of the big operating companies,” and further announcements are expected within two to three months.
RAK Central, the emirate’s new business district, is due to open in September 2027, with a topping-out ceremony for its office blocks expected in November 2026. It will include what Grinnell described as Ras Al Khaimah’s first Grade A, LEED-certified office buildings.
Branded residences are another pillar — “it’s a huge potential,” she said — alongside an expanded desert proposition including Ritz-Carlton branded residences, and an early look at wellness and longevity as an underserved category.
What This Means for Travellers
The practical takeaway for anyone planning a trip is timing. The window between now and Wynn’s September 2027 opening is the last stretch where Ras Al Khaimah is quieter and cheaper than it will be afterwards. Refurbishments at Pullman on Marjan Island and Rixos Bab Al Bahr were deliberately pulled forward into the subdued period, which means several properties will come back refreshed rather than tired — worth checking against the current RAK hotels directory before booking.
Hikers and climbers should plan around the early-November reopening rather than assuming full mountain access before then; our Ras Al Khaimah travel advice section covers seasonal conditions and getting to the mountain. And for visitors who have known Ras Al Khaimah as a beach-and-desert destination, the message from Marjan is that the emirate is consciously broadening — beach resorts, desert camps, mountain lodges and, before long, an integrated resort, all in one emirate.
Source: Gulf News