BAHRAIN’S resilient tourism policies have injected fresh hope in the hospitality sector with operators reporting a bumper 2022 and looking forward to a buoyant 2023.
This year witnessed a series of mega developments on the tourism front starting with the increase in inbound tourism – from 2,539,988 visitors in the third quarter of 2019 to 2,990,614 visitors in Q3 2022.
The year also witnessed the launch of the Middle East’s largest exhibition centre – Exhibition World Bahrain in Sakhir; opening of new five-star properties; international concerts at the Al Dana Amphitheatre and other major events that attracted footfall such as the Bahrain International Air Show, Jewellery Arabia and the Autumn Fair that ended yesterday.
The country also made global headlines with the historic maiden visit of Pope Francis to the kingdom last month.
The hotels and restaurants sector recorded the highest growth amongst non-oil sectors in the third quarter of this year, increasing by 14.7 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in real terms. This was due to an annual increase reported in the number of passengers travelling to Bahrain through the King Fahad Causeway. It surged by 158.6pc YoY in Q3 2022, while the number of passengers travelling through Bahrain International Airport increased by 101.9pc YoY, according to the Bahrain Quarterly Economic Report (Q3 2022), issued by the Finance and National Economy Ministry.
The Association of Bahrain Travel and Tour Agents (ABTTA) chairman Jihad Amin said the hospitality sector did good business in 2022, compared to the previous two years when Covid-19 travel restrictions were in place.
“There is no doubt that 2022 was an exceptional year for the hospitality sector and things picked up during the second and third quarter with a line-up of international events that resulted in multiple waves of tourists,” Mr Amin told the GDN.
“Events such as Pope Francis visit, Manama Dialogue and the Bahrain International Air Show further helped push inbound tourism and I believe we reached 81 per cent pre-pandemic recovery rate, which is higher than the global average.”
Mr Amin, who is also the hospitality and tourism committee chairman at the Bahrain Chamber, said he was hopeful the positive momentum would continue next year – ‘without any hiccups’.
Bahrain’s tourism sector attracted $291 million (BD110m) in direct investments during the first three quarters of 2022, the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) said last month.
Vida Marassi Al Bahrain Hotel, the upscale 348-room Hilton Bahrain, Jumeirah Gulf of Bahrain Resort and Address Beach Resort were among the five-star properties that opened this year.
“I think 2022 is indeed a year to be celebrated,” said Hilton Bahrain general manager Tamer Farouk.
“In the past few years, the hospitality industry was shaken due to the pandemic. Although we have evolved and adapted to this, we even managed to thrive through it with more dedication to hygiene solutions to protect our guests and found creative ways to give our guests great experiences and unforgettable memories.
“I believe, 2022 saw the return to the days before the pandemic, at least here in Bahrain. And that is because of the amazing management of the kingdom’s government and the campaigns launched to boost tourism.”
Mr Farouk also highlighted the ‘fabulous’ events, conferences, and visits of popular artists to the country as well as projects aimed at encouraging travellers to experience the hospitality of Bahrain.
“I am hopeful and excited for 2023,” he said. “With the government’s support and continuation of these events, I am sure the hospitality sector is looking at a brighter and more successful year.”
Another major development this year was the return of cruise season after a hiatus due to Covid-19, with several ships carrying thousands of international tourists making port calls at the Khalifa Bin Salman Port.
Bahrain International Travel general manager C D Singh said their team handled several port calls of cruise ships this season which, he said, will result in positive indicators across the hospitality sector.
“2022 has been a good year for everyone compared to the previous year and we also witnessed inbound tourism pick up, especially from India,” said Mr Singh.
“The meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) sector will also continue to improve in 2023 along with destination weddings.
“There were some big destination weddings this year and we have received queries for 2023 as Bahrain is an ideal wedding destination for the Indian market.”
Similar views were echoed by hospitality expert and Skal International Bahrain board member Hameed Halwachi, who said this year witnessed an increase in the number of tourists combining business with leisure – or ‘bleisure’.
“Four-and five-star properties across the country reported decent occupancy rates throughout the year as a range of activities were held,” said Mr Al Halwachi.
“We definitely did good business in 2022 compared to the previous year, especially during major events such as Pope Francis visit last month that boosted the hospitality sector.
“However, I feel we can do much better by having a calendar of events that deals with family visits and short visits or attracts transit passengers.”
Elite Hospitality Group chief operating officer Sarosh Aibara said 2022 was a ‘mixed’ year for hotels with several families from the GCC eager to travel after a gap of two years.
“November was one of the best months with several back-to-back international events that put Bahrain in global spotlight,” said Mr Aibara.
“We have seen several concerts at Al Dana Amphitheatre, but are yet to see the return of corporate business sector as we continue to rely on weekend business.”
Mr Aibara added that rising operating costs have necessitated the need for new policies that can ensure good business throughout the month rather than on weekends.
“I hope in 2023 we see a concrete calendar of events, especially exhibitions and international shows at the Exhibition World Bahrain and at Al Dana Amphitheatre, which attracts more footfalls and room nights to Bahrain.”
He further added markets such as Russia, Israel and India need to be aggressively pursued to attract inbound tourism.
“It’s good to see the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) co-ordinating with various government agencies, and I hope their efforts bear fruit for all and we see a bigger and better 2023,” he added.
Tourism Minister Fatima Al Sairafi, earlier this week, chaired the BTEA board meeting and reviewed topics on the agenda covering the latest developments in the tourism sector for the third quarter of 2022.
It reviewed key tourism performance indicators (KPIs) for the last three months, which showed significant improvement – including average tourist nights, average visitor spending, total inbound tourism expenditures, and the number of visitors coming to the kingdom for tourism purposes, as Bahrain witnessed a 31pc surge in tourism traffic in Q3 2022 compared with Q2 2022.
As part of the Economic Recovery Plan, Bahrain announced a new four-year strategy (2022-26) for the tourism sector that aims to attract 14.1m tourists by 2026.
The framework has four main objectives: To increase the contribution of the tourism sector to GDP to reach 11.4pc in 2026, highlight Bahrain’s position as a global tourist hub, increase the number of targeted countries to attract more tourists and diversify tourism products.
sandy@gdnmedia.bh
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