Bahrain on the verge of major tourism renaissance: Industry Minister

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain is on the verge of a major renaissance in the tourism sector, said Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani, citing the tremendous success of the “Food Festival” and strong Q4, 2021 results.

“These figures and indicators bolster our belief that we are on the verge of a major renaissance in the tourism sector,” said the Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bahrain Tourism Authority.

Bahrain, he said, is also getting closer to “the launch and operation of major tourism projects such as the largest exhibition and conference centre in the region, the diving coast, and the Galali coast, among others.”

All these projects, the minister said, demonstrate the ability of the Kingdom to meet the ambitious goals set out in the Bahrain Tourism Strategy 2022-2026.

Al Zayani affirmed that the unprecedented success of the current session of the Food Festival demonstrated the recovery of the tourism sector in Bahrain. “The festival also reflects the ability of the sector to restore and even surpass pre-pandemic performance and growth rates,” the minister said, highlighting it as a success of the strategy in this sector.

The minister was speaking during the concluding ceremony of the activities of Food Festivals. The Festival, which recorded a large turnout, was the biggest compared to the previous six sessions, considering the number of participating restaurants and visitors including citizens, residents, and tourists. He also noted, in this regard, the significant role played by participating restaurants and the rich programme of events in the success of the event.

The minister further acknowledged sighting signs of recovery in the hotel and restaurant sector in Bahrain, according to the statistics issued by the Information and e-Government Authority.

The sector, the minister said, recorded a real increase of 31.66%, and 39.82% at the current prices in the fourth quarter of 2021 compared to the fourth quarter of 2020. The Food Festival this year witnessed the participation of 120 restaurants.

The “Cooking Corner,” which featured several well-known Bahraini chefs preparing and cooking various sorts of cuisine live in a unique interactive setting, was another highlight of this year’s food festival.

The festival also featured several events and exciting activities. Bahraini artists gave a variety of musical and artistic performances. Yet another highlight was the raffles prizes held throughout with the backing of hotels and restaurants around Bahrain.