A nationwide movement to integrate people of determination into Bahrain’s tourism sector took centre stage yesterday at TEDxDilmun, where Tourism Minister Fatima Al Sairafi delivered a powerful humanitarian speech highlighting the transformative impact of compassion-driven policy.
Before an energised audience of more than 500 attendees, Ms Al Sairafi announced that around 20 hotels across the kingdom are now part of a government-backed initiative – led by the Tourism Ministry in partnership with the Social Development and Labour Ministries – to train and employ people of determination in real, long-term positions in tourism facilities.
The minister opened her talk with a deeply personal reflection.
“Every morning, before the meetings begin and the phones start ringing, I ask myself one question: What small thing can I do today to make my country, and the world, a little better?”
Ms Al Sairafi highlighted a landmark case involving two autistic Bahraini men who joined a major five-star hotel earlier this year – one in finance, the other in marketing.
The marketing trainee, known for his precision and artistic eye, was invited on stage by the minister during her speech, receiving a strong ovation from the audience. “I wish you could have seen his pride,” Ms Al Sairafi told the crowd. “His talent changed the atmosphere of the hotel – and, honestly, it changed something in all of us.”
She also recounted how the young receptionist built instant rapport with guests and excelled in front-desk operations. Their managers were so impressed that they requested guidance on onboarding more people of determination, telling the minister: “They joined us for two weeks. We thought it was just experience. But they changed the energy of this place.”
The minister revealed that Bahrain already had wage subsidies, training support and certification pathways for companies willing to hire people of determination. “But some hotels simply didn’t know we had these tools,” she said.
Recognising an opportunity, the ministries formed a task force, connecting vacancies with registered candidates. “Within weeks,” she said, “vacancies poured in. We were matchmaking roles with candidates – turning compassion into careers.
“This rapid expansion led to the participation of around 20 hotels, marking one of the tourism sector’s most inclusive workforce transformations to date.”
Throughout her speech, Ms Al Sairafi urged the audience to rethink how change happens.
“The most meaningful transformation I’ve seen rarely starts in boardrooms. It starts in hallways, classrooms, hotels – in small places where someone decides to care just a little more.”
She connected the inclusion initiative to wider national choices rooted in compassion, such as Bahrain’s groundbreaking decision to approve Casgevy, the world’s first CRISPR-based treatment for sickle cell disease and thalassemia.
“That decision wasn’t only scientific,” she said. “It was moral – empathy turned into governance. And empathy, when embedded into policy, builds trust. And trust builds nations.”
The minister urged the audience to consider a new measure of national strength.
“We talk so much about growth and GDP, but what about kindness per capita? What about measuring the strength of a nation by how its people care for one another?”
She closed with a call for personal responsibility.
“The future isn’t built by grand plans – it’s built ripple by ripple, by people who choose compassion when no one is watching.”
As her words echoed through the hall, the presence of Bahrainis with determination – including the young marketing champion welcomed on stage – stood as living proof of her message: that a small act of care, multiplied, can reshape workplaces, policies and the future of a nation.
The event also featured His Majesty King Hamad’s representative for humanitarian work and youth affairs and Supreme Council for Youth and Sports chairman Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa speaking on endurance and leadership, and Whispers of Serenity founder Sayyida Basma Al Said addressing mental health and healing.
Other speakers at the event which the GDN was a partner of, were medical education and physician Dr Reem Al Ansari, holistic wellbeing adviser Dr Salima Balouchi, Nasa Joint Agency Satellite Division deputy director Dr Tahani Amer, accessibility and inclusion consultant – visually impaired – Yahye Siyad, and GCC Board Directors Institute advisory board chair Dr Waddah Al Hashmi.
The event also featured MetaworldX chief executive officer Raza Jafri, Peel District School Board Rashmi Swarup, business and technology strategist Giorgio Torre, Unicef youth advocate Ghaya Alahbabi, innovation adviser Ben Queisser, and Sheba Microsystems Dr Ahmed Ali Alsohaily.
Closing remarks were given by GFH Financial Group chief executive officer Hisham Alrayes and TEDxDilmun executive director Soraya Sarif.
The event also included performances by Yad Oud, Mia Martina and La Vida Dance Studio.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))