Meet Viktoriia Kurenia — Tourism Travel Guide in Ras Al Khaimah (@RAK_GUIDE_TOUR)
Meet Viktoriia Kurenia — Tourism Travel Guide in Ras Al Khaimah (@RAK_GUIDE_TOUR)
Four years ago, Viktoriia Kurenia fell in love with Ras Al Khaimah. Not the romantic, postcard version of love that tourists experience for a weekend, but the deeper attachment that comes from understanding a place: its rhythms, its people, its hidden corners, and the delicate balance it maintains between rapid modernisation and ancient tradition. That love transformed her from a visitor into a bridge—a professional guide who connects local Ras Al Khaimah to the global visitors who arrive curious and, if she does her job well, leave as advocates.
Through her platform @RAK_GUIDE_TOUR, Viktoriia has built something rare in the Gulf tourism ecosystem: a guide service that operates as genuine cultural exchange rather than scripted entertainment. She offers eco-tourism experiences that reveal the emirate's natural beauty—its mountains, mangroves, and desert landscapes—while threading cultural heritage into every journey. Her tours do not merely show visitors what Ras Al Khaimah looks like; they explain what it means, who lives here, and why the emirate's story is worth understanding beyond the resort pool.
This article explores Viktoriia's work, the evolution of tourism in Ras Al Khaimah, and why authentic cultural interpretation has become the most valuable skill in the modern travel industry.
Full Bio
Viktoriia Kurenia operates @RAK_GUIDE_TOUR, a tourism and travel guide service based in Ras Al Khaimah that specialises in eco-tourism, cultural heritage experiences, and community connection. Her work bridges local traditions to visitors who arrive as tourists and, through her guidance, often transform into residents or long-term supporters of the emirate.
Viktoriia's philosophy of tourism rejects the superficial. She believes that the best travel experiences occur when visitors engage with a place on its own terms rather than through the filter of their expectations. This means introducing tourists to local artisans, taking them to family-run restaurants rather than hotel buffets, explaining the ecological significance of the mangrove forests, and sharing the history that explains why Ras Al Khaimah's culture differs from Dubai's despite their geographical proximity.
Her eco-tourism offerings highlight Ras Al Khaimah's underappreciated natural assets. The emirate contains the highest peak in the UAE (Jebel Jais), extensive mangrove ecosystems, pristine desert landscapes, and coastline that supports marine biodiversity. Viktoriia designs experiences that allow visitors to engage with these environments responsibly—hiking, kayaking, wildlife observation, and cultural immersion—while minimising environmental impact and maximising local economic benefit.
Beyond individual tours, Viktoriia has built community infrastructure that supports both visitors and locals. She maintains active social media channels across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, and WhatsApp, creating spaces where expatriates, tourists, and locals exchange information, share experiences, and build relationships. These digital communities have become valuable resources for newcomers navigating life in Ras Al Khaimah, from finding housing and schools to understanding cultural norms and discovering local events.
Viktoriia's personal journey informs her professional approach. Having fallen in love with Ras Al Khaimah four years ago, she understands the emotional arc that transforms a visitor into a resident. Her tours often address the practical and emotional questions that people ask when considering relocation: What is daily life like? How welcoming is the local community? What opportunities exist for entrepreneurs or remote workers? By answering these questions through lived experience rather than promotional brochures, she performs a genuine service for both the visitor and the emirate.
Her multilingual capabilities and cross-cultural fluency enable her to serve diverse audiences. Ras Al Khaimah's tourism market includes European retirees, Asian business travellers, GCC families, and increasingly, digital nomads and remote workers seeking lifestyle destinations. Viktoriia adapts her communication and programming to each segment without diluting the authenticity that defines her brand.
Key Quotes
"As a bridge, I connect local traditions to the visitors who quickly become expats, once they fall in love with Ras Al Khaimah, as I did four years ago."
"Eco tourism and cultural heritage are not separate offerings. They are the same story told from different angles—how humans and nature have shaped each other in this place."
"The best guides do not show visitors what they expect to see. They show them what they need to understand."
"Ras Al Khaimah's competitive advantage in tourism is not its luxury hotels. It is the authenticity that survives beneath the modern surface."
"Every visitor I guide becomes a potential ambassador. If they leave with genuine understanding, they will tell stories that no marketing budget can buy."
"My community groups are not marketing channels. They are living ecosystems where people help each other navigate life in this emirate."
What Viktoriia Kurenia Discussed
-
Eco-Tourism in Ras Al Khaimah — Viktoriia explored the emirate's natural assets—mountains, mangroves, desert, and coast—and how eco-tourism can generate economic value while preserving these environments for future generations.
-
Cultural Heritage Interpretation — She discussed the challenge and responsibility of explaining local culture to visitors from radically different backgrounds, sharing techniques for making cultural norms comprehensible without exoticising or oversimplifying them.
-
Building Tourism Communities — Viktoriia shared how she built her multi-platform community across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, and WhatsApp, and why digital community-building is essential for modern guide services.
-
Converting Visitors to Residents — She examined the economic and social impact of tourism that goes beyond short-term spending to attract long-term residents, entrepreneurs, and investors who discover Ras Al Khaimah through guided experiences.
-
Sustainable Tourism Practices — Viktoriia addressed the environmental and social challenges of tourism growth, sharing her protocols for minimising environmental impact, supporting local businesses, and ensuring that tourism benefits Ras Al Khaimah's existing communities rather than displacing them.
-
The Guide as Cultural Interpreter — She reflected on the evolving role of professional guides in an age of digital information, arguing that algorithmic recommendations cannot replace the contextual knowledge, personal relationships, and real-time judgment that professional guides provide.
-
Ras Al Khaimah vs. Dubai Tourism Positioning — Viktoriia discussed how Ras Al Khaimah can differentiate itself from Dubai's mass tourism model by emphasising authenticity, nature, and cultural depth rather than competing on scale and spectacle.
About @RAK_GUIDE_TOUR
@RAK_GUIDE_TOUR is Viktoriia Kurenia's tourism and travel guide platform, offering curated experiences that connect visitors with Ras Al Khaimah's natural environment, cultural heritage, and local community. Operating across multiple digital channels and through in-person services, the platform serves tourists, prospective residents, and long-term expatriates seeking genuine engagement with the emirate.
The platform's service offerings include eco-tourism experiences (hiking, kayaking, wildlife observation), cultural heritage tours (historical sites, artisan workshops, traditional cuisine), relocation guidance for prospective residents, and community networking through digital channels. Each experience is designed to provide context and depth rather than surface-level sightseeing.
@RAK_GUIDE_TOUR maintains active communities on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, and WhatsApp, creating spaces where visitors and residents exchange information, share experiences, and build relationships. These communities have become valuable resources for newcomers navigating practical questions about life in Ras Al Khaimah, from housing and schools to cultural events and local services.
The platform's philosophy centres on responsible tourism that benefits local communities economically while preserving cultural and environmental assets. Viktoriia prioritises partnerships with local businesses, family-run establishments, and community initiatives rather than international chains or mass-market attractions. This approach ensures that tourism spending circulates within the local economy and that visitors receive experiences unavailable through conventional travel packages.
Under Viktoriia's leadership, @RAK_GUIDE_TOUR has become a recognised voice in Ras Al Khaimah's tourism ecosystem, contributing to the emirate's growing reputation as a destination for travellers seeking authenticity over opulence.
Related Leaders
- Daniela Godoy-Waheed — Marbling Artist & Art History Instructor
- Tariq Al Salman — Owner of Design Gallery
- Captain Lisa Brashear — Owner of Layla Del Mare
- Hakim Elhaj — Art Curator at Design Gallery
- Browse all video interviews
Watch the Interview
Discover Ras Al Khaimah through the eyes of a guide who fell in love with the emirate and dedicated her career to helping others understand why. Watch the full interview for insights on eco-tourism, cultural heritage, and building community in a globalised world.