On Sunday at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2021, the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RATKDA) launched a new vision and destination brand. The Emirate's identity as a nature-based tourist destination, giving rewarding experiences inspired by nature's beauties, is at the core of this. This new identity blends in with an Emirate known for its mountain peaks, huge deserts, and exquisite beaches, raising it to new heights.

This image, inspired by Ras Al Khaimah's outstanding terrain, distinctive perspective, and cooler summer temperature, highlights awe-inspiring experiences in the UAE's northernmost Emirate – a location with unmatched attraction for individuals seeking ‘a feeling of place' and wishing to fully ‘live' the location.

The Emirate's new destination strategy focuses on nature, leisure, adventure, accessibility, and authenticity, leveraging Ras Al Khaimah's enormous and diversified natural outdoor environment as its most valuable asset. The new positioning intends to catch the imagination of a rising sector of visitors who demand anything different in the new normal – one distinguished by sustainability, wellness, adventure, and unexplored moments – by appealing to those seeking safe and diverse experiences in the new normal of traveling.

It also builds on the tourist authority's previous efforts to promote Ras Al Khaimah's distinctive features to visitors, initiatives that have been identified with the Emirate being designated the Gulf Tourism Capital for both 2020 and 2021 by Gulf Cooperation Council tourism ministers. Ras Al Khaimah has become the first city in the world to be recognized as ‘safe' by Bureau Veritas and the first Emirate to earn the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) ‘Safe Travels' stamp, recognizing its safe environment for tourists.

“Our new persona and brand tap into a rising wellspring of aspirations and needs that travelers are creating in this period of the new normal – goals that extend beyond the classic vacation experience to incorporate a feeling of meaningful travel. The world is rebounding through perhaps one of the most difficult eras in recent history, and many travelers' ideas about good leisure time are being molded and reinterpreted,” said Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority.

The new ‘Rakashida' logo, inspired by the ‘kashida' from Arabic calligraphy — a line that joins letters to form a word - serves as the foundation of RAKTDA's campaign. The RAKashida, which flows smoothly like Arabic calligraphy, conveys the tale of the Emirate and its hopes for the destination.

The RAKashida also represents the destination's customized tourist experiences, which include a rich heritage inscribed by the hand of its predecessors. And, much as the Kashida joins letters to make a word, the RAKashida joins worlds – and individuals. The brand signature, which appeals to tourists' emotions and wanderlust, puts forth a global message to ‘Live Your Moments' in Ras Al Khaimah.

“RAKashida's peaks and valleys symbolize the Emirate's three essential natural aspects and essential values: the sea, with its continual swelling and subsiding, the desert, with its sloping dunes, and the mountains, with their astounding altitudes. It also reflects the trip into Ras Al Khaimah, beginning with the fun coast, which denotes lively activity, going into the enigmatic desert, which symbolizes discovery, and finally onto the mountains, which shows magnificence and adventure - the pinnacle of the experience,” Phillips added.

This new brand intends to attract more eco and adventure travelers to Ras Al Khaimah's 64km of pristine beaches, wildlife-rich mangroves, sloping terracotta deserts, spectacular wadis, and breathtaking elevations. Its Hajar Mountains, in particular, are becoming increasingly popular, with Jebel Jais – the UAE's tallest peak at over two kilometers and home to the nation's highest restaurant and the world's longest zipline, Jebel Jais Flight - becoming incredibly famous.

Tourism Development Authority of Ras Al Khaimah (RAKTDA) The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) was founded by the Ras Al Khaimah government in May 2011. RAKTDA's mission is to build the Emirate's tourist infrastructure and build Ras Al Khaimah as a world-class destination for business and leisure travelers, while also providing long-term investment possibilities and improving people's quality of life. To fulfill its objectives, the Authority is entrusted by the government to license, manage, and oversee the Emirate's tourist and hospitality business.