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An United Arab Emirates sheikhdom popular with Russian tourists has seen just a small dip in arrivals from the country, helped in part by the Gulf nation’s decision to continue operating flights to Moscow despite the invasion of Ukraine.

The number of tourists from Russia dropped about 3% since the war, Raki Phillips, Chief Executive Officer of the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority said in an interview on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market conference. The impact so far hasn’t been significant and was compensated by growth in visitors from other countries, he said.

Russia has always been among the top three markets for Ras Al Khaimah, with visitors from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine making up 10% of the emirate’s total arrivals, Phillips said. The comments echo hotel operator Emaar Hospitality, which said on Monday demand from Russia has been stable. 

While Russian airlines and many foreign carriers subject to reciprocal airspace bans and other curbs that have greatly curtailed flights, jets are still landing from Moscow in the UAE. Dubai’s Emirates Airline provides one of the few remaining major arteries linking Russia with the rest of the world. 

Ras Al Khaimah, a small emirate about an hour’s drive from Dubai, has witnessed a rebound in arrivals since the pandemic decimated the industry. About 285,000 tourists visited in the first quarter of this year, on par with 2019, Phillips said. The sheikhdom, which received 1.1 million tourists in 2019, is on track to fully recover this year, he said. 

The northern emirate currently has 7,000 hotel rooms and is looking to boost that number as it tries to lure additional tourists from Latin American with marketing campings in Brazil and elsewhere. It’s adding 2,000 hotel rooms in the next 12 months and is targeting 15,000 within the next five years, with an aim to draw 3 million tourists annually by 2025, Phillips said.

Casino Operator Wynn Plans UAE Resort With Gaming Facilities (1)

The emirate received its largest foreign direct investment earlier this year when Wynn Resorts Ltd., the Las Vegas-based hotel and casino operator, announced plans to develop a multi-billion-dollar beach-side resort which is set to include a “gaming area.” The resort, which is designed to include over 1,000 rooms, will open in 2026.

Phillips said no gaming licenses have currently been awarded, and declined to discuss the emirate’s plans.

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