01/08/09, 02:52:04 UTC

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Bahrain registers 15pc rise in tourist arrivals

gulf-daily-news.com

MANAMA: The number of tourists coming to Bahrain has been steadily increasing, according to statistics from the Ministry of Information's tourism division.It is rising by an average of 10-15 per cent a year in the last three years.

Figures for the summer months show this trend is continuing.

Although five-star hotels in Bahrain usually see a drop in occupancy numbers during the summer vacation. In comparison to previous years, the majority of hoteliers say they have seen an increase in the number of visitors coming to Bahrain.

Most guests in Bahrain's five-star hotels are usually corporate travellers, but with less business being conducted over the summer, the majority of visitors arriving on vacation are GCC families using Bahrain as their first stop on further travels.

"There are always less people in Bahrain during the summer, but we are seeing an increase in the number of people that have come compared to last summer," Gulf Hotel public relations manager Sidney Fortun told the GDN.

"The attraction is the luxury and comfort as well as the freedom Bahrain enjoys.

"Although we make more revenue after the summer period.

"The summer period is not too bad, we have a lot of guests from the GCC that come here to relax."

The number of visitors from other parts of the world is also increasing.

According to figures from the Information Ministry in previous years the majority of visitors to Bahrain have been from Gulf states, although their numbers have dwindled from 75.6 per cent of the total number in 2,000 to 65.4pc of the total number last year.

"There is currently a masterplan being conducted by the Bahraini government to boost Bahrain's potential into becoming a strong tourist destination," Sheraton Hotel Bahrain director of sales and marketing Christopher Chan-Piu said.

"Three or four years ago there was not as much demand for hotel rooms during the summer as there is today. Bahrain's expansion, including the introduction of tourist attractions such as Durrat Al Bahrain and other constructions, as well as the many malls, means that tourism here is growing.

"The bulk of visitors this summer are from Saudi Arabia.

"In order to target these people we have to include certain infrastructure, for example the Sheraton is going to be connected to the MODA Mall, which will allow Saudi women to explore the mall without the need of taking a taxi."

The second largest tourist group in Bahrain are visitors from southern Asia whose numbers increased from 8.6pc in 2000 to 12.9pc last year.

The majority of hoteliers agree that to increase tourism numbers Bahrain needs to focus further on promoting local culture and to avoid stereotyping itself as an alternative to the more cosmopolitan summer vacation location of Dubai.

"The major problem with visitors coming to Bahrain during the summer is the heat and humidity," assistant director of sales at the Intercontinental Regency Bahrain, Hazem Harfoush told the GDN.

"For this reason Bahrain will never compete with the big European destinations.

"People don't want to come here in the summer and be strictly confined to staying indoors.

"In the next two or three years, I expect to see a difference in the number of visitors as Bahrain expands its outdoor tourist attractions.

"I have heard an announcement that a new beach is due to open soon in Bahrain.

"The Bahrain International Exhibition Centre has also been working hard on attracting people to Bahrain and is fully booked for the rest of this year and next year."

Tourist visitor statistics for this year's summer period have not yet been released, a source at the Ministry of Information said.

 Printable Version  | published Aug 15, 2007