Manama, November 6 (BNA): In line with the comprehensive development goals of the Kingdom of Bahrain under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Zayed Rashid Al Zayani announced today the new tourism strategy 2022-2026, which aims to diversify. The Kingdom’s economic portfolio in parallel with the recently launched economic recovery plan.
The minister’s announcement came during a press conference organized by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre.
He said that Bahrain is working to increase the contribution of the tourism sector to the gross domestic product, in line with the government’s development plans, led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
He pointed out that in line with the Kingdom’s economic recovery plan, the tourism sector aims to increase the total number of tourists to 14.1 million by 2026, the average daily visitor spending to 74.8 Bahraini dinars and raising the average tourist stay to 3.5 days.
Al-Zayani, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority, stressed that the tourism plan will contribute to the national economy, increase the Kingdom’s competitiveness, and attract more investments that benefit the country and its citizens.
He added that the new tourism strategy is an extension of the 2016-2019 strategy, which achieved its objectives despite the various challenges.
“When the strategy was launched in 2015, the travel and tourism sector represented less than 4% of GDP. The contribution of tourism to GDP has grown to nearly 7% as a result of the efforts and initiatives launched by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority.”
He stressed that efforts will be intensified to ensure the success of the new tourism strategy. He reviewed the strategy framework, which includes four main objectives: increasing the contribution of tourism to GDP to reach 11.4% in 2026, highlighting Bahrain’s position as a global tourism center, increasing the number of targeted countries to attract more tourists, and diversifying tourism. products.
The minister indicated that the plan is based on four strategies: facilitating entry into the Kingdom, diversifying and developing tourist attractions, marketing and encouraging tourism through the Kingdom’s national carrier “Gulf Air” in partnership with the private sector, and promoting tourist accommodation.
Al-Zayani pointed out the role of travel agencies in further developing the tourism sector, adding that the best travel agents have been identified in key global markets to target and attract more tourists.
He stressed that the tourism strategy is based on seven pillars: developing marine attractions, business tourism, sports tourism, leisure tourism, medical tourism, cultural tourism, media tourism and cinematography.
He pointed out that the launch of the new tourism strategy follows the implementation of major national tourism projects, including the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Center in Sakhir, which is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority is also developing several tourism projects, including the Diving Waterfront, Bahrain Bay Beach Project, and Galali Coast Waterfront.
He said that the implementation of the economic recovery plan and the strategy of developing the tourism sector led to the construction of the Al Dana Theater, whose first event was held yesterday.
In this regard, the Minister stressed the importance of these national tourism projects in highlighting Bahrain as a tourist destination, which contributes to economic growth and creating opportunities for citizens.
The minister also highlighted the progress of work on tourist resort projects, such as the Mantis Hotel and Resort in the Hawar Islands, the Jumeirah Bahrain Bay Resort, the Tourist City project, the Plage Al-Jazira beach development project, and the Saada project, which he will witness. To be completed by January 2023.
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