TRANSIT passengers who are eligible for visas on arrival in Bahrain can stay for up to four days in the country as part of a new scheme.
The visa fees will be covered by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) provided the passenger has valid Gulf Air flight tickets for both sectors.
Details of the new scheme were shared by a BTEA official who said an influx of transit passengers was expected this year following the launch of the scheme last month.
“We have launched the stopover scheme in co-operation with Gulf Air,” said BTEA tourism marketing and promotions director Yousef Al Khan.
“Under this programme, any person who is eligible to get a visa on arrival, will be able to book their Gulf Air flight with free stopover in Bahrain.
“When I say free it does not mean hotel or other expenses, only the visa charges. Besides, the airliner ticket price does not change as the visitor is stopping over in Bahrain.”
Nationals of more than 60 countries are eligible for visas on arrival at Bahrain International Airport, while nationals of 113 other countries can apply for e-visas.
“For instance, if someone is travelling from London to India on Gulf Air flight, he can stop over in Bahrain for up to four days free of charge in terms of visa fees,” added Mr Khan.
“We have already had a few people booking their flights and stopping over in Bahrain.”
The GDN reported earlier this week that Bahrain’s national carrier wanted to carve out a niche as a ‘boutique’ airline, as it plans to add around eight new destinations and expects to carry around 5.8 million passengers this year.
Mr Khan said the new stopover scheme will be “promoted heavily” in the coming months to attract more transit passengers.
“BTEA has a busy calendar this year with a host of events and activities lined up, aimed at attracting more tourists.
“Our international offices are working hard to get more tourists across, with charter flights from Russia already started.”
The GDN reported on Monday that 12m people visited Bahrain last year compared with 9.7m in 2017.
The BTEA’s target is to welcome 14.6m tourists by 2022.
The average length of stay per tourist increased by 26pc, from 2.26 nights in 2015 to 2.85 last year.
A majority of the tourists were from Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries.
According to BTEA statistics, a daily average spend of BD80 per visitor was recorded during last year, growing 10pc from BD72.4 in 2015, and the 2022 target is to take it to BD97.9.
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