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Advertisers Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait B.S.C.
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Promoting the land of a thousand smiles
For most people, Dr. Kadhim Rajab’s job of promoting hospitable, friendly people in an attractive, open environment with virtually no street crime, makes the Assistant Under-Secretary for Tourism Affairs’ job enviable.
But it takes a lot of work to successfully promote a country that most Americans have never heard of, or would be unable to tell you where it’s located on the map.
“Tourism is not new in Bahrain,” says Dr. Rajab, “but it was only in 1985 when the first step was taken to organize this industry.
“After the stability of growth regarding the number of tourist arrivals, one can say that the country’s tourism industry has made Bahrain an ideal spot for ‘special interest’ tourists in search of exclusive and exceptional quests.”
Safety and security are two factors that have put Bahrain in a class apart from all other holiday destinations elsewhere in the world, says Dr. Rajab. “Add to this Bahrain’s warmth, hospitality and confidence, and you have the essential qualities of what make Bahrain a special place.”
For people interested in history, heritage and culture, Dr. Rajab says Bahrain is a living and natural museum. “Evidence from the past generations is apparent everywhere, either in the form of a landscape pockmarked with ancient grave mounds, or some over 5,000 years old; in the excavated ruins of intriguing temples like that of Barbar; or in more recent structures such as the Bahrain fort, Arad fort; or many houses in the older parts of Manama and Muharraq such as Beit Sheikh Isa bin Ali and Beit Seyadi.
But for tourists wanting to go beyond the country’s history and culture, Bahrain offers a variety of accessible facilities for scuba-and-pearl diving, fishing expeditions and a variety of other water sports and leisure activities.
Dr Rajab says that another important attraction to Bahrain is the number of regional events on the island. These exhibitions and conference have contributed significantly in boosting the tourism sector in Bahrain, as these events draw businesses from throughout the Middle East and around the world.
Dr. Rajab says Bahrain’s tourism market is now comprised of four main sectors, which are: the business and traveler market, the conference and exhibition market (MICE); the leisure GCC market, and the leisure non-GCC market.
Bahrain offers many incentives to potential investors, according to Dr. Rajab: These include Bahrain’s strategic location in the Gulf region, which makes it the ideal hub for easy access and comfortable transit to neighboring countries; Bahrain International Airport is the headquarters of Gulf Air and offers high quality competitive international airport services; the 26-kilometer King Fahad Causeway, which offers the fastest access to the markets of neighboring countries; the fact that Bahrain remains the main hub for Middle East aviation.
In addition, there are no personal, corporate or withholding taxes; there are no exchange control restrictions on repatriation of capital, profits and dividends; labor costs in Bahrain are one-third of those in industrialized countries; there are a mature legal infrastructure and internationally accepted trade practices. Bahrain also has the region’s most advance telecommunications system; there is a modern, integrated air, sea and road transport system; the Bahrain Dinar is a freely convertible and stable currency linked at a fixed rate to the American Dollar; and finally, Bahrain is the Middle East’s financial center.
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Table of Contents The Al Khalifa Dynasty - Ruling Bahrain Since 1783 |
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Less than 10 years ago, in an effort to increase economic diversification, Bahrain decided to examine the potential development of the tourism industry within the wider national economic context. As a result, the industry has started to play a crucial role in the economic prosperity of Bahrain by acting as an important source of income and employment.