Bahrain's Tourism Sector Has Great Potential For Future Growth

From Azlina Aziz MANAMA (BAHRAIN), April 1 (Bernama) -- The strong growth of Bahrain's tourism sector is likely to continue in the future given the ongoing investments in hotels and infrastructure in the kingdom, commonly referred to as the "Gateway to the Gulf". Armed with its Tourism Strategy 2015-2018, the strategy will help ensure that the kingdom remains an authentic and boutique experience within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, while opening new opportunities for local and foreign investors to play a role in the tourism sector in the country. "We are inviting investors including Malaysian companies to come on board, helping us to develop our tourism industry. Bahrain is currently making large-scale investments in its infrastructure that will help drive growth and investment in tourism," said Acting Chief Executive Officer of Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority, Khaled Bin Humoof Al Khaliffa. He made the remarks at a briefing for Malaysian media on a familiarisation trip to the kingdom organised by the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) recently. The main idea is to package the island's existing attractions to offer a range of experiences covering a variety of bases and prompting tourists to stay longer, spend and enjoy more of what the kingdom has to offer, Khaled said. He said with Bahrain's tourism industry set for a period of expansion and consolidation, foreign investors including Malaysian companies can always exploit niche segments such as exhibition centres, theme parks and ecotourism. He said setting up an exhibition centre would cost about US$53.05 billion (20 billion Bahraini Dinar) while a beachfront hotel could cost a whopping US$22.76 million (20 million euros). "A theme park is a must, we have a lot of visitors coming in, so another Sunway Lagoon here would be just perfect," said Osama Mohamed Al-Arrayedh, Undersecretary for the Industry Affairs, Ministry of Industry & Commerce. Asked on the whole cost for the 2015-2018 transformation, Khaled said there are no definite figures, but for 2015 a total of seven billion Bahraini Dinar was allocated for the tourism industry. Meanwhile, Brand Bahrain, an international campaign to promote the kingdom as a top tourist destination, will be launched this month. It will focus on the kingdom's heritage, culture and business-friendly environment. "We are working with the Economic Development Board (EDB) to launch the Brand Initiative similar to Malaysia Truly Asia that aims to promote the country across the globe. We will share Bahrain's stories and the identity of our country with the global community," he said. The soft launch of the initiative will be held during the 2016 Bahrain Fomula 1 Grand Prix. In 2014, tourism contributed US$1.4 billion or 4.2 per cent to the country's Gross Domestic Product, with the contribution forecast to grow by 4.9 per cent annually between 2015 and 2025. --BERNAMA