Tourism violations in Bahrain

Government inspections uncover 224 breaches in Manama’s Fourth Constituency   

Inspectors flagged 224 breaches at tourist establishments across Manama’s Fourth Constituency, with 119 cases resulting in closures, licence suspensions or written warnings, according to the Ministry of Tourism. 

The figures came in reply to a parliamentary question from MP Hassan Bukhammas, who had asked about the number of tourist facilities operating in the area, how many licence requests had been made and approved, how often inspections were carried out, and how many staff were handling them. Since the start of the current legislative term in 2022, the Ministry said it had carried out 701 inspections in the constituency. 

These included regular visits, surprise checks and joint campaigns with other bodies including the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the General Directorate of Traffic and Civil Defence. Inspectors looked into licences, business records, building use, safety, cleanliness and labour conditions. Facilities Tourism-related facilities in the area include 42 hotels, 116 restaurants and 52 furnished flats rented on a daily or weekly basis. Since 2022, the Ministry has received 135 requests for tourism licences from establishments in the constituency. 

Of these, 108 were approved. The Ministry currently has 16 inspectors and enforcement officers on its books and plans to add more, working with the Civil Service Bureau. Procedures This follows Decree No. 82 of 2023 which split licensing and inspection work at the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) in a bid to tidy up procedures. 

Breaches logged by inspectors covered a range of issues including unpaid hotel service charges, failure to submit audited accounts, letting out space without permission, running venues without written approval and altering activities beyond what the licence allows. Some tourist restaurants were also caught ignoring permitted working hours. Once a breach is recorded, the person in charge of the venue is called in to answer questions from enforcement staff. 

Findings Depending on the findings, cases are either passed to the Public Prosecution or dealt with by administrative order or both. Action is taken under Decree-Law No. 15 of 1986 which covers tourism rules. The Ministry’s response ended with a short note of thanks to the MP and an expression of readiness to continue working with Parliament on the matter