More than 350,000 visits have been recorded at Bahrain’s cultural sites in the first seven months of this year, according to recently published data by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca).
Open-source data available on Bahrain’s data portal showed that January has so far been the most popular month for visitors, showing a three per cent growth since the same month last year, from 161,283 to 166,148.
In total, 374,849 visits have been recorded in the first seven months of this year.
Last month, a total of 15,502 visits were recorded, with Bahrain Fort being the most visited site.
Foreigners accounted for 48.9pc of last month’s visits, amounting to 7,579 visitors, and Bahrainis were a close second with 6,080 (39.2pc) visits.
From across the GCC, 1,032 visitors came to Bahrain’s cultural sites, while organised tours brought in 396 visitors.
A total of 9,142 visits were logged at the Bahrain Fort – an increase of 34.1pc from 6,817 in July last year.
The Saar Settlement also saw a surge in July, rising from 22 visitors last year to 127 this year.
The Bahrain National Museum was the second most visited site last month with 2,432 entries, followed by Tree of Life Visitor Centre (1,644), Al Jasra Handicrafts Centre (526) and Bu Maher (454).
For the Al Jasra Handicrafts Centre, July was its best-performing month with the highest visitor volume of the year.
The Art Centre saw its most activity in June 2026 with 1,162 visitors, compared to an average of just 150 in the preceding months.
Bahrain Fort remains the most visited cultural site in 2026, accounting for more than 60pc of all visits, with 236,904 recorded this year.
The Tree of Life Visitors Centre has also shown resilience, rising slightly this year, with 62,707 visitors compared to 62,550 in the same months of 2025.
The Bahrain National Museum saw a decline of 36pc this year, falling from 54,467 visitors in 2025 to 34,634 in 2026, while Bu Maher visits dropped from 15,829 in 2025 to 8,025 in 2026.
The GDN recently reported that His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, has highlighted the importance of continuing to preserve Bahraini heritage, calling it a key pillar in the kingdom’s comprehensive development, led by His Majesty King Hamad.
This was among the key highlights of his talks with Baca president Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa at Riffa Palace, where HRH Prince Salman affirmed that Bahrain has a rich civilisational and cultural heritage and wealth of historical and archaeological assets, which continues to strengthen its standing across various levels.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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