74% of tour guides are Bahraini, ‘all licensed’

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Tourism Minister, Her Excellency Fatima Al Sairafi, told Parliament yesterday that 74 per cent of tour guides in Bahrain are citizens, all licensed and certified by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA).

She was speaking in response to remarks from MP Mohammed Janahi, who raised several concerns during the session.

In reply, Al Sairafi defended the ministry’s performance and said Bahrainis remain at the heart of the government’s tourism plans.

“There are several points raised by the MP,” she said. “Unfortunately, some of them are not accurate.”

She said Vatel College of Hospitality is an accredited institution in Bahrain and that its students are employed while still studying.

“Sixty-two per cent of Vatel graduates are Bahrainis,” she told MPs. “They are working in the hotel and hospitality sector in the Kingdom, which in itself shows the importance of this sector and the value the ministry and the authority place on bringing Bahrainis into it.”

The Minister added that this approach falls under the tourism strategy launched in 2022.

Al Sairafi said she welcomed the MP’s call to make better use of the college and confirmed a new qualification is in the pipeline.

Feasibility study

“At the moment, Vatel offers a bachelor’s degree,” she said.

“We are working to introduce a master’s degree soon. I would also like to support the MP’s suggestion that the college offer short-term development courses. That is already under way. We are preparing a feasibility study with those involved in the tourism sector, inside and outside Bahrain.”

Turning to training, she said the system for guides had been changed.

“There may have been training in 2015,” she said. “But in 2023, we changed the whole training structure and worked with the UN World Tourism Organisation to ensure a full and proper programme for tour guides. This was a joint effort between the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority and the government bodies involved.”

Oversight

She also addressed the issue of oversight.

“The MP mentioned regulation, which is important,” she said. “In 2023, the licensing and inspection directorates were separated. We are now preparing a new decision that will contain clear regulatory tools to stop these kinds of practices.”

Al Sairafi noted that this policy shift has already produced results.

“The rise in the number of Bahrainis working as tour guides is clear,” she said.

MP Janahi had referred to Decision No. (3) of 2005 on the regulation of tour guiding.

Al Sairafi acknowledged that it states Bahrainis have priority, but she pointed out that Article 7 of the same decision allows for exceptions.

“The authority is allowed to grant licences to non-Bahrainis in certain cases,” she said, “for example, to provide services in languages that Bahrainis may not speak. In the 2022 strategy, we targeted several tourist markets, including many countries in Europe.”