There is an increasing interest among tourists and official delegations from different Indian states to visit Bahrain, stated an envoy. Indian Ambassador Vinod Jacob said Bahrain is now on the travel list of not only tourists but also senior Indian government officials to explore new areas of travel co-operation “Demand for travel is globally on the rise and it’s very visible to see Indian tourists in Bahrain.

“Latest data shows that more than 500,000 Indians visited Bahrain in the first six months of this year compared with more than 269,000 during the same period last year.” Mr Jacob said Indian markets have also witnessed tourism influx from Bahrain while citing examples of several high-level trade visits from the kingdom travelling to New Delhi. He said the tourist footfalls were evident with recent delegations from Karnataka and Goa who visited Bahrain reflecting the interest in Manama as an ideal getaway destination. “I would encourage our Bahraini friends also to make use of the opportunities available in India for tourism and enjoy their stay.”

Mr Jacob said the Embassy in Seef District issued a total of 4,990 visas of which 70 per cent were tourism and as of last month they issued close to 4,000 visas. He said the visas were issued mainly to Bahrainis travelling for leisure or medical tourism. “We also issued a new category of Ayush (AY) visa for foreign nationals for treatment under Ayush systems/Indian systems of medicine like therapeutic care, wellness and yoga.” The new category of visa is for foreign nationals seeking medical treatment and is part of India’s roadmap for the ‘Heal in India’ initiative, which aims to promote India as a medical value travel destination.

Meanwhile, the diplomat also reiterated his support for working with relevant authorities in Bahrain to increase the number of flights to several Indian destinations. Bahrain has announced plans to attract 14.1 million tourists by 2026 as part of its new 2022-2026 tourism strategy as part of the Economic Recovery Plan.

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