A spectacular record-breaking show has taken place in the United Arab Emirates to celebrate the welcoming of 2024.

Ras Al Khaimah, a city about 65 miles away from Dubai, has made history once again with its highly anticipated New Year’s Eve fireworks display. In a stunning display of innovation and majesty, the emirate broke two Guinness World Records, featuring over 1,000 drones and a breathtaking “carpet” of aquatic pyrotechnics.

As the clock ticked midnight, the shoreline spanning 2.8 miles from Al Marjan Island to Al Hamra Village was transformed into a canvas of lights and colors. The eight-minute display, filled with novel choreography and groundbreaking techniques, captivated the crowd in attendance, with more than 50,000 spectators witnessing the event.

This momentous celebration marks the emirate’s fifth consecutive attempt to break records on New Year’s Eve and also underscores Ras Al Khaimah’s outstanding growth as a premier tourism destination. The year 2023 has been exceptional for tourism, with the emirate set to surpass its annual visitor record from 2022 by an impressive 7%.

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Ras Al Khaimah’s popularity among tourists from all over the world is increasing, as shown by the rise in the proportion of international visitors to 51% in 2023 from 44% in 2022. The emirate’s dedication to sustainable tourism has been recognized with EarthCheck’s Silver Certification, making it the first destination in the Middle East to achieve this honor.

As the year is coming to an end, Ras Al Khaimah can proudly claim its position on CNN Travel’s list of the best destinations to visit in 2023, as well as Conde Nast Traveler’s selection of the best places to go in Asia in 2024.

Ras Al Khaimah is the largest city in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah and the 6th most populous city in the UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain and Ajman. The city is divided by a creek into two parts: Old Town in the west and Al Nakheel in the east.

Meanwhile, revelers across the world celebrated the countdown to midnight on New Year’s Eve with fireworks and brightly lit signs — offering a hopeful start to 2024 for some, even as the globe’s ongoing conflicts raised security concerns and let to muted or even cancelled festivities.

As the clock struck midnight in Australia, more than 1 million people — a number equivalent to one in five of the city’s residents — watched a 12-minute firework display focused on the Sydney Harbor Bridge from the shore and from boats in the harbor. “It’s total madness,” said German tourist Janna Thomas, who had waited in line since 7:30 a.m. to secure a prime waterfront location in the Sydney Botanic Garden.

China celebrated the new calendar year relatively quietly, with most major cities banning fireworks over safety and pollution concerns. Chinese President Xi Jinping said during his New Year address that the country would focus on building momentum for economic recovery in 2024 and pledged China would “surely be reunified” with Taiwan.

In India, thousands of revelers from the financial hub of Mumbai flocked to a bustling promenade to watch the sun set over the Arabian Sea. In New Delhi, fireworks raised concerns that the capital — already infamous for its poor air quality — would be blanketed by a toxic haze on the first morning of the new year.

Temple bells rang out across Japan as people gathered at shrines and temples. At the Tsukiji Temple in Tokyo, visitors were given free hot milk and corn soup as they stood in line to strike a big bell, and a pipe-organ concert was held before a majestic altar.