Ras Al Khaimah appoints new Tourism CEO 

Phillipa Harrison, the former Managing Director of Tourism Australia, has been named as the new CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) in the UAE.

 

Harrison will lead the northern emirate at a key stage in its development as it aims to become a new tourism hotspot in the Middle East, boosted by the upcoming opening of the region’s first casino resort Wynn Al Marjan Island.

 

Harrison brings decades of experience to the role and succeeds Raki Phillips who is due to step down in October as he begins a new role at Accor from November 2025.

 

Her departure from Tourism Australia, where she worked for more than eight years, was announced on 3 June 2025, with the Chair of the Board, Penny Fowler, praising Harrison’s leadership, vision and “enormous contribution”.

 

There will be a familiar face awaiting Harrison at RAKTDA as she joins former colleague Brent Anderson who was appointed Chief Commercial Officer at RAKTDA in April 2025.

 

The new-look executive team also includes Emil Petrov who joined as Vice President of Strategy and Insights in April, coming from Tourism New Zealand.

 

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“Tourism is at the heart of Ras Al Khaimah’s strategy, it is our fastest-growing sector and we’ve achieved remarkable milestones in a short period of time,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saud Al Qasimi, Chairman of RAKTDA’s Executive Committee.

 

“Ms. Harrison brings with her a depth of knowledge and leadership experience, most recently with Tourism Australia, that gives us confidence in her ability to align with Ras Al Khaimah’s ambitious goals and strategic targets in the tourism sector.”

 

Harrison said she was joining at an exciting time for Ras Al Khaimah which “has already established itself as an international success story”.

 

Ras Al Khaimah, around an hour’s drive north of Dubai, attracted 654,000 visitors in the first half of 2025, an increase of 6%, and aims to attract more than 3.5 million per year by 2030.

 

Those numbers put the emirate on track to beat last year’s 1.28 million overnight arrivals, which was up 5% on 2023, while tourism revenues rose 12%.

 

Major developments include the Wynn Resort’s mega project, the Middle East’s first regulated gaming resort, plus a fast-growing hotel pipeline set to double room supply by 2027. These include a 250-key Fairmont Hotel and a Hard Rock Hotel, both slated to open in 2028, plus brands such as Nobu Hotels, Nikki Beach and Ushuaïa.

 

For more information, visit raktda.com