10pc increase in number of tourists

Manama : The number of travellers to the Kingdom increased by 10 per cent in 2015 when compared to the statistics in 2014, revealed Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) CE Shaikh Khalid bin Humood Al Khalifa.

“In 2015 alone, we received around 11.6 million tourists while in 2014 we received 10.4m visitors,” he added.

The latest tourism statistics was disclosed yesterday during a media roundtable as part of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTA) ‘World Tourism Day’ held this year under the theme of “Accessible Tourism.”

“We are more than happy to celebrate the World Tourism Day and disclose the latest tourism statistics that highlights the growth of the tourism industry in Bahrain,” said Shaikh Khalid.

Hotel occupancy reached 52pc in 2015 when compared to 50pc in 2014 and 45pc in 2013. Also the total hotel stays in Bahrain increased to 3.13m in 2015 when compared to 2.09m in 2014, pointed out the BTEA chief. 

“Average tourist spends per day by reached BD110 in 2015 and we aim to increase it to BD136 by 2018. Our efforts are exerted to diversify the target audience. We have recently joined alliances with ‘Cruise Arabia’ further promoting Bahrain as a destination for cruises. Other recent initiatives include the launch of representative’s offices for BETA in seven countries such as Germany, China, Russia and France. The aim is to reach to a wide audience,” he added.

The media roundtable was held on the sidelines of the ‘Moroccan Bahraini Handicraft Week’ and was attended by representatives from hotels, travel agencies, tour guides and other industry representatives.

The event kicked off by a video message from UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, where he highlighted the importance of accessible tourism for people with disabilities stating that it is crucial that destinations develop universal accessibility measures.