THEY say that travel has seven benefits. I agree and firmly say that there are probably 70 others too!
I had the opportunity to travel with my family, for the first time, with a group of 42 people, to the cities of Moscow and St Petersburg, in the Russian Federation, for 13 days. Personalities of both sexes who represented all segments of Bahraini society, and a number of individuals from Saudi Arabia were in the party. They included doctors, engineers, bankers, administrators and other specialised professionals from the government and private sectors. Most of them were retirees and their ages were fairly similar, which added more cohesion to the group.
I believe that the tourist groups that have increased recently constitute a great force for conveying the true and beautiful image of our beloved kingdom through their commitment and discipline to the laws and regulations of those tourist destinations and for them to be the best ambassadors for the homeland.
Frankly, regardless of the large number on the trip, I found every one of them, without exception, possessing magnanimity, authenticity and generosity to the utmost extent. They were role models in morals, values, principles, respect and etiquette.
The co-operation and love of the group members made the trip a special one!
With regard to the Russian Federation, as the common saying goes: ‘If the reason is known, then the wonder is gone’.
I now realise why so many tourist groups travel to this wonderful country. It is truly, as they say, ‘paradise on earth’. I did not find anything that I did not like. For example, its weather, nature, history, kind people, acceptable prices, security, picturesque nature, palaces, churches, historical and tourist sites, restaurants, transportation and other services. In short, it deserves top marks.
Unfortunately it has been isolated from the world for very many years due to global politics, and I do not want here to delve into this topic that has become as clear as the sun to everyone.
Our generation has been deprived of entering these great and advanced countries, but the new generation is blessed to be exposed to these ancient civilisations.
Ironically, our generation was a victim and paid a heavy price because of an unfair media alongside Western and American policies.
I remember well how our minds were controlled by the misleading information of this great empire. They instilled fear in even the people closest to us who decided to study there!
Yet, this country hosted many Bahraini students and they graduated from its most well-known universities in the fields of medicine, engineering, law, etc. They have gone on to serve the nation in their scientific specialisations in various ministries and the private sector and hold senior positions.
It is fortunate that the writing of my letter coincides with the recent visit of His Majesty King Hamad to the Russian Federation, in his capacity as chairman of the Arab Summit.
In confirmation of what I mentioned above about the steady increase in Bahraini tourists, the Russian Embassy in the kingdom confirmed that the rate of tourism exchange had increased during the first quarter of this year to 852 per cent over the same period last year, as the number of Bahraini tourists reached 776 compared to 91.
Wishing for further progress and development through economic, commercial, cultural, tourism, environmental, oil and other fields of partnership between the two friendly countries.
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