• Seventh edition of RAK Investment Pulse reveals double-digit growth in Ras Al Khaimah’s fast-emerging MICE sector
  • MICE room nights increased 25% year-on-year, with MICE revenue rising 36% across the Emirate
  • RAK’s MICE demand is growing faster than its current capacity
  • Report highlights Ras Al Khaimah’s expanding hotel pipeline of 9,300 confirmed rooms and growing destination appeal
  • Major infrastructure upgrades, including airport expansion, VVIP terminal, and recently announced Marjan Beach District masterplan, set to unlock new large-scale event capacity
  • Investing in MICE is critical to drive demand, fill new hotel keys, and reach 3.5M visitors by 2030. 
  • Expanded MICE offerings have been a proven model to stabilise occupancy during off-season and weekdays, countering market volatility

RAK, UAE – Stirling Hospitality Advisors, one of the region’s leading hospitality advisory firms, has released the seventh edition of its RAK Investment Pulse report, providing new insight into the rapid growth of Ras Al Khaimah’s Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) sector. As the Emirate continues to broaden its tourism base, the report shows significant year-on-year growth in MICE demand, supported by expanding hotel capacity, improving infrastructure and closer collaboration between government entities and industry operators.

According to the report, Ras Al Khaimah recorded 25% year-on-year growth in MICE room nights and a 36% rise in MICE revenue, reflecting increased demand from corporate groups, incentive travellers and event organisers. The research also highlights that the Emirate is now attracting events from a wider range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, finance, technology, manufacturing, and sustainable energy. Alongside business events, RAK also recorded 167% year-on-year growth in wedding revenue, further demonstrating its emerging position as a multi-segment events hub.

With 8,300 hotel rooms currently operational and 9,300 additional rooms in the pipeline, Ras Al Khaimah is on track to support its long-term goal of welcoming 3.5 million visitors by 2030. The report notes that RAK’s combination of desert, mountain and sea, together with ease of doing business and a growing portfolio of high-quality hospitality properties, is strengthening its appeal to planners and organisers looking for a fresh, accessible alternative within the UAE.

Tatiana Veller, Managing Director of Stirling Hospitality Advisors, said: “The findings show that Ras Al Khaimah is rapidly positioning itself as one of the UAE’s major business events centres. We’re seeing stronger interest from organisers, better infrastructure to support them, and a hotel pipeline that gives the Emirate room to grow. It’s a positive sign for the market, and it reflects how quickly RAK is diversifying its tourism offering.”

The report highlights several key developments shaping Ras Al Khaimah’s future event capacity. These include land designated for a potential convention centre within the Marjan Beach District masterplan, ongoing upgrades to RAK International Airport, and improved road connectivity across major tourism and business districts. Additionally, the development of Grade A office buildings at RAK Central is attracting strong corporate demand, creating a modern business hub that complements the Emirate’s growing MICE infrastructure. By 2027, visitors to RAK will also be able to use an air taxi service, reducing travel time to 15 minutes between Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah, significantly enhancing access for business travellers and event delegates. 

The research highlights alignment across public and private stakeholders, with RAKTDA, Marjan and RAKEZ working closely with hotel operators, event organisers, DMCs, PCOs and wedding planners. Increased investment in destination marketing, targeted incentive programmes and a single-window approach for event organisers with RAKTDA are enhancing the Emirate’s competitiveness. Hotel venues continue to anchor RAK’s MICE offering, but demand is now outpacing available capacity, underscoring the need for scalability across the entire service ecosystem. This includes not only expanded meeting facilities, breakout rooms and adaptable event space, but also high-quality catering, advanced audiovisual solutions, and specialised event production services to deliver large-scale seamless experiences.

The report also benchmarks RAK with other regional MICE hubs, noting that Dubai and Abu Dhabi are approaching capacity across their major exhibition and conference venues. This creates clear opportunities for Ras Al Khaimah to capture high-value events seeking alternative locations within the UAE. Competitive pricing, lower CAPEX and OPEX, and the Emirate’s nature-led visitor experience position it as a complementary choice for corporate and incentive groups. In particular, RAK is well placed to capture the growing “bleisure” trend—where business travellers extend their stay for leisure activities, thanks to its unique combination of mountains, beaches and desert landscapes, alongside premium hospitality and adventure offerings.

Based on extensive interviews with hotel general managers, government authorities, event organisers, master developers and corporate travel teams, supported by market data and regional benchmarking, the seventh edition of RAK Investment Pulse provides stakeholders with a clear, data-driven view of the emirate’s hospitality landscape.

Stirling Hospitality Advisors will host a webinar on December 9th 2025 at 1 pm, to discuss the report’s findings in greater detail and explore emerging opportunities across the MICE sector and wider tourism market.

Register at: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/54952679-2e96-4b0c-a776-e9a977612143@b097daf4-c6e3-49ae-8cd1-efdac601eeed

About Stirling Hospitality Advisors

A subsidiary of Marjan, Stirling Hospitality Advisors is one of the leading boutique advisory institutions in the region. Headquartered in RAK, Stirling Hospitality Advisors offers clients a wide range of services, including developing comprehensive tourism destination strategies and activation plans, advisory and asset management. Stirling Hospitality Advisors is responsible for a hotel and resort portfolio valued at over USD 1.25 billion, for clients across various sectors: governments, real estate investment trusts, sovereign wealth funds, banks, family offices and master developers.

Holding a unique position in the industry, Stirling Hospitality Advisors shares the perspective of government, investor, owner, operator, asset manager and consultant, offering its’ clients the long-term trusted relationships and focused expertise, and accompanying each project throughout its’ entire lifecycle. With a proven track record of successful project delivery, it has been instrumental in transforming RAK into a world-renowned tourist destination for active and family tourism.

Stirling Hospitality Advisors’ team of experts has over 150 years of combined hospitality experience, currently asset managing over 3,500 hotel rooms in three countries and has supported clients in over 120 cases of hotel and destination concepts, feasibility studies, market studies, strategies and highest-best use analyses.

About Marjan 

Marjan is the investment, hospitality and lifestyle company in Ras Al Khaimah, redefining destination development by combining visionary master planning with world-class hospitality and vibrant community living. As the force behind iconic projects such as Al Marjan Island, Marjan Beach, RAK Central, and the upcoming Wynn Al Marjan Island, Marjan is driving Ras Al Khaimah’s transformation into one of the world’s most dynamic, sustainable, and liveable destinations for investors, residents, and visitors alike.

For media enquiries:
Natasha Tourish | Q Communications
natasha.t@qcomms.ae