22 new hotels in four years

Twenty-two new hotels are scheduled to open in the Kingdom in the next four years, announced Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority CEO yesterday “BTEA is committed to developing the sector to truly distinguish Bahrain from other countries in the region,” said Chief Executive Officer of BTEA, Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa.

Citing the preliminary data for Q1 2019, Shaikh Khalid said the performance of the tourism sector continues to improve, with inbound tourists increasing to 3.2 million, a 3.1 percent rise compared to the same period last year. International arrivals reached 3.5 million, a 3.1pc increase from last year. Besides, the five-star hotel occupancy rate jumped 53pc compared to 50pc during the same period last year. Four-star hotels occupancy reached 46pc compared to 42pc.   

Shaikh Khaled added that tourism statistics for the quarter showed a remarkable increase in the use of the Kingdom’s ports of entry. It recorded a 2pc increase in visitors arriving via King Fahad Causeway, reaching a total of 2,810,822 visitors. A 3pc increase in visitors arriving via Bahrain International Airport, reaching a total of 299,196 visitors, and an 82pc increase in visitors arriving via Khalifa bin Salman Port, reaching a total of 81,371 visitors.

The total number of nights spent by tourists in the Kingdom reached approximately 4.1 million nights, an average of 3.3 nights per tourist.