Ras Al Khaimah’s hospitality industry is set for major expansion, with 7,427 new hotel rooms anticipated by 2030, according to the latest RAK Investment Pulse report released by Stirling Hospitality Advisors. This planned growth, when combined with the emirate’s current inventory of 8,321 rooms and over 5,000 additional units under discussion, is expected to bring Ras Al Khaimah’s total hotel capacity close to 16,000 rooms by the end of the decade.
While the report confirms a strong tourism outlook for the emirate, it also emphasises the urgent need for investments in vital support infrastructure. Areas requiring attention include laundry services, food and beverage supply, logistics, staff accommodation, and vocational training. These elements are essential to ensure that back-end operations keep pace with the growth on the customer-facing side of the hospitality sector.
The findings reveal that 86 per cent of hotels currently outsource laundry services, predominantly to nearby emirates, and more than 60 per cent of casual staff are recruited from outside Ras Al Khaimah. Projections show that demand for staff housing will exceed 16,000 units by 2030. Moreover, over 85 per cent of hotel operators support the idea of a centralised procurement hub to improve supply chain efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. At present, most food and beverage supplies are still imported, mainly from Dubai, adding to logistical costs.
Among the top investment opportunities identified in the report are scalable laundry and cold storage facilities, purpose-built staff accommodation areas, procurement and logistics hubs to localise supply chains, and vocational training centres aimed at building a skilled local workforce.
