Industry minister highlights initiatives to boost exhibitions, conferences in Bahrain

Manama, May 10 (BNA): Speaking at Gateway Gulf, a new major investment event in Bahrain, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Zayed R. Al-Zayani highlighted the ministry’s support to various sectors of the economy – particularly its efforts to support the tourism sector. The minister also highlighted the services provided by the ministry in order to enhance the sector’s performance and further develop its infrastructure, especially in the exhibitions and conferences field. Speaking on the sidelines of the Gateway Gulf Investor Forum, held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and Chairman of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, Al-Zayani said: "The government supports the tourism industry – it is one of the most important sectors in Bahrain’s economy." Demonstrating the government’s support for the industry, construction has begun on a new center for exhibitions and conferences on a 297,000 m2 plot of land near the Bahrain international Circuit in Sakhir. The new center will consist of ten halls, a large conference hall that can host up to 4,000 attendees and 26 small and medium-sized meeting and conference rooms all equipped with the most advanced technology. The collective size of the exhibition and conferences halls, shops, restaurants, offices and warehouses on the site is estimated to reach 156,600 m2. Work is underway to finalise the designs and an announcement of a tender process will be made in the third quarter of this year. Construction work will begin in October and is expected to be completed in late 2020. The new Bahrain Center for Exhibitions and Conferences will be allocated to major international exhibitions, conferences and entertainment events, which are expected to attract large audiences from Bahrain and overseas. The new centre will include many facilities and services which are expected to enhance the infrastructure of the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) industry in Bahrain. The MICE industry is a cornerstone of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority’s strategy, "Ours, Yours, Bahrain", which aims to develop the tourism sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain, enhance its role in the national economy and help to realise Bahrain’s economic Vision 2030. Gateway Gulf brings together over five hundred global investors and business leaders to explore ways of unlocking the opportunities being created by the economic transformation in the GCC. The event provides a direct route into accessing the GCC market by showcasing major investment-ready projects worth USD $18billion, with projects in the planning phase driving up the value of the project pipeline to USD $26 billion. The event also offers an opportunity to match funding with large-scale infrastructure projects in Bahrain.