TTN

Bahrain welcomes over 3m tourists in Q1

Bahrain welcomed 3.2 million visitors during the first quarter of 2019, a 3.1 per cent increase compared with the same period last year, it has been revealed.
Share  

Bahrain welcomed 3.2 million visitors during the first quarter of 2019, a 3.1 per cent increase compared with the same period last year, it has been revealed.

The number of international arrivals reached 3.5 million, a 3.1 per cent increase from last year as well, the chief executive officer of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, said.

Shaikh Khalid said that the BTEA is focusing its efforts on enhancing the tourism sector’s contribution to the national economy through its wide-ranging comprehensive strategies, which seek to promote local tourism at both regional and international levels.

The kingdom and the BTEA have taken steps to further improve the country’s tourism infrastructure and are committed to developing the sector to truly distinguish Bahrain from other countries in the region - offering an exceptional level of services and developing unique tourism facilities, he said.

In this regard, Shaikh Khaled highlighted that 22 new hotels are scheduled to open in the next four years.

In addition, the five-star hotel occupancy rate increased 53 per cent compared to 50 per cent during the same period last year, while-four-star hotels occupancy reached 46 per cent compared to 42 per cent during Q1 2018.

Shaikh Khaled added that tourism statistics for Q1 2019 showed a remarkable increase in the use of the kingdom’s ports of entry – a 2 per cent increase in visitors arriving via King Fahad Causeway, reaching a total of 2,810,822 visitors. It also showed an increase of 3 per cent in visitors arriving via Bahrain International Airport, reaching a total of 299,196 visitors, and an 82 per cent increase in visitors arriving via Khalifa bin Salman Port, reaching a total of 81,371 visitors.

The total number of nights spent by tourists in the Kingdom reached approximately 4.1 million nights, an average of 3.3 nights per tourist.
 
Shaikh Khaled noted that the average expenditure of visitors increased by 3.1 per cent, which increased the tourism sector’s contribution to the GDP. The real GDP share of hotels and restaurants increased by 8 per cent, a nominal GDP increase of 7.1 per cent. In addition, the number of arriving passengers increased by 3.3 per cent and departing passengers increased by 3.7 per cent, marking a 3.1 per cent average increase in passenger movements.

Shaikh Khaled highlighted that these positive results come as part of the BTEA’s long-term strategy to develop the tourism sector under the slogan “Bahrain. Ours. Yours”, which focuses on promoting tourism offerings to attract more regional and international visitors, and increasing the sector’s contribution to the national economy in line with the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030. - TradeArabia News Service

Spacer