More apps required to promote Ras Al Khaimah tourism

The Life: Ras Al Khaimah has a snazzy new app to show off the emirate's tourism industry. It is a good resource, but could do better.

The Ras Al Khaimah tourism app for iPhone.
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Download the new Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) destination app for the iPhone and you are immediately treated to a snazzy video of Arabian horses running across idyllic white sand.

There are also falcons swooping through beautiful hotel corridors and handsome men and women frolicking in the crystal-clear sea.

It certainly makes you want to visit the emirate, or at least spend more than five minutes on the app, which is all part of RAK's push to increase tourist numbers to the emirate.

The Trade Development Agency was set up in May last year and a number of initiatives have been launched to raise the emirate's profile, including the huge US$1 billion (Dh3.67bn) Real Madrid Football Club resort planned to feature a theme park, hotel and stadium.

And as travel apps go, this is not a bad start. You can check out the hotels in the emirate, as well as search for restaurants by cuisine. There is also a page that tells you what you can do in RAK to pass the time and a page with all the latest news on tourism in the emirate. So it is nearly all there. But, putting your tourist hat on, the app is so badly lacking in detail it almost makes the whole process redundant In the activities page, there are no phone numbers or examples of companies that offer such pursuits, it just lists what can be done in the emirate. Phone numbers, prices, opening times, travel to and from the destination are all bits of information that are vital to tourists. The Events and Offers page is also a bit out of date.

In some cases, there are phone numbers and details, for the hotels and restaurants for example, but there are simply not enough.

Admittedly, there is a list of important phone numbers such as the police, taxis and car rental companies.

But what would really make the app a showcase for RAK would be user reviews of the hotels, restaurants and activities it is promoting.