Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority today announced that in response to visitor demand for the world’s longest zipline, they will open phase two to visitors in the third quarter of 2018.
This will feature two new cables and will increase the capacity of the Jebel Jais Flight to 400 people per day, around 200,000 per year.
The Tourism Authority which is currently promoting its offer to the global travel market at ITB in Berlin, also announced that night time ziplining will commence this summer, giving visitors the opportunity to enjoy a different experience during the summer months.
The world’s longest zipline is the latest tourism product aimed at attracting the adventure tourist to the UAE’s northern most Emirate.
With its diverse landscape featuring the Hajar Mountains and Jebel Jais, the UAE’s highest peak, the zipline follows other highly successful adventure tourism initiatives including the Jebel Jais Via Ferrata (Iron Path), hiking and climbing routes.
The growth of adventure tourism has contributed to the increase in visitors to Ras Al Khaimah, up 19 per cent in 2017, with prevalent growth from international markets.
Germany, Russia, United Kingdom and India respectively were Ras Al Khaimah’s largest source markets last year with emerging markets such as Poland and Czech Republic also seeing significant growth.
RAKTDA plans to further strengthen its strategic partnerships and agreements at ITB with the global tourism market to aid its goal of a million visitors by the end of 2018 and 2.9 million by the end of 2025.
The organisation, in partnership with 16 industry stakeholders from Ras Al Khaimah including hotels, destination management companies and attractions, is using its stand at ITB to bring to life the authentic and nature based Arabian experience on offer in Ras Al Khaimah for holidaymakers from across the globe.
Haitham Mattar, chief executive of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority said: “ITB is a very important event for us to engage the global travel market and grow awareness of Ras Al Khaimah’s unique combination of authentic Arabian hospitality, pristine beaches and outdoor adventure pursuits.
“The opening of the world’s longest zipline has considerably aided the recognition of the destination on the global stage and demonstrated that we are upping the ante as the region’s fastest growing tourism destination.
“We’re delighted to have received a record number of both trade and media delegates on our stand this year with a particular interest in the growth of our adventure tourism offer.
“As such it seemed the opportune time to announce the second phase of Jebel Jais Flight to help us further grow international interest and visitor numbers.”