Two cruise liners dock in Bahrain bringing more than 7,000 tourists

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More than 7,000 tourists arrived in Bahrain aboard two liners as part of the current cruise season.

MSC Bellisima and AIDAprima docked at Khalifa Bin Salman Port (KBSP) yesterday and passengers were welcomed with sweets, and activities that showcased Bahrain’s hospitality.

Visitors also had the opportunity to take photos with a falcon or have their hands decorated with traditional henna designs.

Thousands of tourists aboard 61 luxury liners are expected to visit the kingdom during the annual cruise season, which started in October and continues until April.

The first cruise ship to stop in Bahrain since the season started was the Mein Schiff 5 which docked in Bahrain with 2,351 passengers last month.

The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) said yesterday a special itinerary has been drawn up for the visitors including visits to landmark sites in the country.

“Due to the ongoing growth of the Kingdom of Bahrain as a destination for cruise ships, we look forward to receiving more in the coming months within the tourist season that continues during the months from October to April, and we expect that the number of trips this season will amount to 61 that include approximately 100,000 visitors,” said BTEA chief executive Nader Al Moayyed.

He added that they were working closely with a group of governmental entities and tour operators to enhance visitor experience.

“The BTEA’s strategy focuses on four main pillars including Awareness, Attraction, Access and Accommodation, in addition to developing the kingdom’s ports and marine facilities to attract more incoming tourist ships in the region and increase the number of visitors coming into the kingdom.

“We aim to double the contribution of the tourism sector in the national economy seeking to increase the gross domestic product (GDP) of the non-oil sectors in order to achieve Economic Vision 2030.”

The GDN reported last month that APM Terminals Bahrain that operates KBSP said that a total of 406,513 cruise passengers had visited Bahrain over the past five years, travelling here on 230 cruise ships.

This year KBSP hosted its maiden summer cruise season, from June to September, during which 4,938 passengers travelled to Bahrain.

The GDN previously reported that Karnika, India’s first premier cruise ship from Jalesh Cruises, arrived here from Dubai carrying almost 2,300 passengers.

sandy@gdn.com.bh

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