TravTalk India Online Magazine
Bahrain’s tourism recovery rate at 92 per cent is the fastest in the Middle East region and one of the highest globally. To reinforce its position as a boutique island destination, the country is spending a lot on tourism infrastructure, with waterfront developments, new hospitality ventures, and hotel properties launching this year.
Janice Alyosius
Bahrain has a long-standing relationship with India that spans culture, commerce, and history. This makes India a crucial market for Bahrain, particularly in the tourism sector. To promote its presence in India, Bahrain is exploring different ways to improve air connectivity and association between travel and tour operators of the two countries. Their goal is to create more direct business relationships and promote Bahrain as a destination in India and various provinces and governance around the country, shared Dr. Nasser Ali Qaedi, CEO, Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority.
Building strong B2B relationships
Bahrain’s strategy is to focus on building strong business-to-business (B2B) relationships to enhance its presence and visibility in India. “To achieve this, we are working on multiple fronts. Firstly, we have established a physical presence through a representative office in VFS, with whom we have a contract to promote Bahrain in the local market and create more B2B linkages. We have also signed up with over 100 tour operators across the globe, enabling them to project their marketing and promotion campaigns and content calendar into different markets. Bahrain is also developing specific promotions to attract different segments of the market and expanding its network to ensure broad reach,” said Qaedi.
Engaging in various events and activities
Bahrain is engaging in various events and activities with different parties in India to increase awareness and generate word of mouth publicity. “The more contacts Bahrain has on the ground, the more effective our efforts become. We are collaborating with various chambers of commerce and representatives from the travel and tour industry to organize more FAM (familiarization) trips to Bahrain. This is a crucial initiative for us, both in terms of segmented and general FAM trips. We are also inviting event planners and organisers of conferences and exhibitions to showcase the country as a unique destination,” he said.
Boutique island experience
Bahrain has created a unique and exclusive boutique experience that cannot be found anywhere else, shared Qaedi.
“Our focus is not only on providing separate visa counters or facilities, but also on working closely with planners, organisers, and families to ensure a seamless experience from start to finish. We assist with everything from flights, logistics, hotel and transportation arrangements, to dealing with suppliers and partners on the ground. We even offer assistance with visa processing and other areas to make the entire process as convenient and enjoyable as possible for our clients,” said Qaedi.
Investing in infrastructure
Bahrain invested in one of the largest facilities in the Middle East, Exhibition World Bahrain. It offers over 100,000 square metres of indoor exhibition space and bridal suites, making it a versatile venue for conventions, exhibitions, weddings, and other events. “Exhibition World Bahrain is our newest and the largest global venue, which has attracted interest from international events. With Exhibition World Bahrain’s location adjacent to the Bahrain International Circuit and the Aldana amphitheatre, Bahrain is positioned as an entertainment destination with strategic assets in tourism,” highlighted Qaedi.
Fastest tourism recovery
Highlighting the target numbers and recovery rate, Qaedi shared Bahrain achieved 9.9 million visitors last year, exceeding its post-COVID recovery projection of 8.3 million visitors.
“The recovery rate is 92 per cent, which is the fastest in the region and one of the highest globally. To reinforce Bahrain’s position as a boutique island destination, we are going through one of the largest periods of tourism infrastructure spending in its history, with waterfront developments, new hospitality ventures, and hotel properties launching this year. Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, is also increasing flight connectivity to new destinations globally, including India,” he said. “The collaboration between Bahrain and Gulf Air aims to increase air connectivity and develop more air connectivity agreements within India. These initiatives support multiple layers, including the business layer, the tourism layer, the promotional B2C layer, and conventions,” he added.
