The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) will be focusing on promoting the country in five key markets – GCC, Germany, China, India and the UK – this year, a top tourism official has said.
More than 40 agreements were signed in the past year with tour operators in these markets by the tourism promotion and marketing department of the BTEA.
“Since we have direct flight routes with these countries, it’s easier to get visitors from there to Bahrain,” BTEA chief executive Sarah Buhiji told the GDN.
“We also obviously have diplomatic relationships with them with embassies on both sides that can facilitate travel.
“We are working with a UK-based international agency to promote our activities.”
Ms Buhiji was speaking during a Press roundtable conducted by the BTEA at the Suq Al Baraha in Diyar Al Muharraq yesterday.
In addition to activities for families, the tourism authority is designing programmes for every demographic, from young couples to youth. To support these projects, the authority is working with ministries and the private sector to expand parking, amenities like toilets and event spaces in high-traffic areas like Muharraq and Manama Suq.
It has also expanded its offerings for cruise visitors, with options like Suq Al Baraha and Muharraq Suq, in addition to the Manama Suq.
Another key focus is transit passengers at Bahrain International Airport, with Ms Buhiji noting that the BTEA wants to offer them a taste of Bahraini culture to encourage them to extend their stay or return for a full-visit.
In the first quarter of this year, in addition to the Spring of Culture, which runs until the end of February, the BTEA also plans to organise a number of popular events including the Food Festival, Manama Nights during Ramadan and the Autumn Fair, which is set to kick off on January 23.
The Food Festival will be held in February across multiple locations, and Manama Nights will be part of a number of Ramadan events taking place in the Suq and Heritage Village.
The specific dates of the events will be announced in the coming weeks.
“Exhibition World Bahrain will host the 35th edition of the Autumn Fair, the Social Housing Innovation Conference and Exhibition, the third edition of the Gulf Law and Arbitration Week, and the first edition of the International Educational Supplies and Technology Exhibition,” a spokesperson from BTEA added, in a statement.
“The centre will also return to host prestigious events such as the Bahrain International Garden Show and the second edition of the Global Water, Energy and Climate Change Congress, in addition to the Middle East Oil and Gas Show and the Middle East Geosciences Conference and Exhibition, the International Congress and Convention Association Forum in the Middle East, and the World Travel Awards 2025.”
Other highlighted projects during the roundtable included the Sama Bay in Galali, which will be inaugurated this month.
According to Ms Buhiji, the two-kilometre-long indoor-outdoor development includes different outlets, a restaurant, gym and motorised as well as non-motorised beach activities on the waterfront.
Another key highlight for the BTEA in the coming year will be development of activities at Hawar Island.
“We want to create a good experience for tourists, from the minute they book their accommodation all the way through their visit,” Ms Buhiji explained.
“We also want to highlight it to families coming to Bahrain for their destination wedding. We have been hosting a lot of them this season, and Hawar Island could be one of the options for those families to enjoy a weekend or a few days.”
The authority also highlighted that at the legislative level, several key regulatory decisions were issued during 2024 to support the tourism industry, most notably regulating the practice of restaurants dedicated to tourism services independent of hotels, as well as the passage of a draft law on the regulation of time-sharing in timeshare accommodation units.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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