Bali, September 27 (BNA) Tourism Minister Fatima bint Jaafar Al-Sirafi participated in the celebrations of World Tourism Day in Bali, Indonesia, under the slogan “Rethink Tourism”.
Al-Serafy spoke about the latest developments in the Bahraini tourism sector, as well as the framework of the Bahrain Tourism Strategy 2022-2026.
She said: “The Ministry of Tourism participated in this global tourism event to promote the tourism sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain and highlight the Bahraini experience in the sector’s recovery.”
This is based on the statistics recorded in the first half of this year, which showed a recovery of up to 82% compared to the pre-pandemic period, specifically in the second quarter of 2019, with an increase in the number of tourists in the second quarter of 2019. 2022 by 38% compared to in the first quarter.
She added that the ministry is moving towards attracting high-quality tourism investments and enhancing communication with representatives of major tourism markets around the world.
Al-Serafy added that the tourism sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain witnessed a noticeable increase in the hotel and restaurant sector.
She pointed out that the latest economic report on the performance of the main economic indicators for the second quarter of 2022 in Bahrain, showed that the hotel and restaurant sector recorded a strong growth of 18.1% compared to the second quarter of 2021 in real terms.
She explained that the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority has doubled its efforts to reach the main markets for international tourists, and has succeeded in building promising partnerships with 76 tour operators operating at the regional and international levels.
Al-Serafy said that the “Bahrain International Exhibition” will open next November. This will help achieve the goals of making Bahrain a regional center for conferences and exhibitions.
World Tourism Day in Indonesia will focus on reimagining the sector’s growth in scale and importance, as well as on developing the tourism industry through education, investment, innovation and technology.
It will highlight the importance of the tourism sector in creating employment opportunities, especially for women and youth, as well as promoting social and economic inclusion and more sustainable and inclusive tourism.