The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) marked the occasion of Arab Tourism Day with a special celebration at ‘Vatel Hospitality and Tourism Business School’ in Al Jasrah on February 25.

Held under the patronage of the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Zayed Bin Rashid Al Zayani, the event was attended by the chief executive officer of BTEA, Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, several dignitaries in the tourism sector as well as several representatives from the tourism sector, including hotels and restaurants.

During the ceremony, two panel discussions were held. The first focused on “Ecotourism: Mangroves and Pearl Diving Projects", in which the director of the Research Department at the Office of the First Deputy Prime Minister, Hamad Al Mahmeed; the head of the Species Conservation Department at the Supreme Council for Environment, Ali Mansoor Abbas; and the director of Tourism Marketing and Promotions at BTEA, Yousef Al Khan took part in.

The second panel discussion focused on “Hospitality Sector: Sustainable Human Resources”, in which the director of Vatel, Julian Lescott; managing director of Bahrain Hotels Company, Mohammed Buzizi; and the Community Engagement manager at Tamkeen, Ahmed Janahi, participated in.

“Through celebrating Arab Tourism Day, we aim to highlight the cultural and tourism landmarks in the Arab countries, within the sustainable development through various programs that come within the objectives of the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism and the Arab Tourism Organization," said the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Zayed Bin Rashid Al Zayani."We will be launching the amphibious buses by mid-2019 to facilitate the movement of visitors and residents in the Kingdom,” he said.

The event was held under the slogan "Tourism and Sustainable Development", in response to the invitation of the Arab Tourism Organization to celebrate the birth of Arab traveller Ibn Battuta, which falls on February 25.

“Our annual celebration of Arab Tourism Day comes in line with the Authority's strategy to develop the tourism sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain, which is an important sector that contributes to the GDP, further increasing employment rates and supporting the national economy,” said Shaikh Khaled.

“The BTEA has been keen to celebrate and recognise various regional events and initiatives and seeks to achieve sustainability under the guidance of the wise leadership while implementing the 2030 Economic Vision, thereby contributing to strengthening the status of the Kingdom of Bahrain as a leading tourist destination at both regional and international levels,” he added.

Shaikh Khaled also announced the latest tourist developments in Bahrain, which included an unprecedented growth rate in 2018 with the total number of visitors reaching 12 million, an increase of 5.9 per cent compared to 2017. The number of international tourists coming to Bahrain reached 13.7 million in 2018, an increase of 7.6 per cent compared to 2017. The average length of stay for each tourist was 2.9 nights in 2018, an increase of 3.8 per cent compared to the previous year, while the tourist nights amounted to 12.8 million nights in 2018, an increase of 3.7 per cent compared to 2017.

“The BTEA has been keen to celebrate and recognise various regional events and initiatives and seeks to achieve sustainability under the guidance of the wise leadership while implementing the 2030 Economic Vision, thereby contributing to strengthening the status of the Kingdom of Bahrain as a leading tourist destination at both regional and international levels,” he added.

This year, the theme of the Arab Tourism Day aims to implement the principles of sustainable development in different tourism destinations, to ensure their long-term sustainability without compromising the specific environmental, cultural, social and economic components of each country in addition to establishing guidelines for sustainable development and sustainable management practices applicable to all forms and aspects of tourism in all destinations, including mass tourism and other tourist patterns.

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