Bahrain tourism revenues climb 12% to $3.7bln

TDT | Manama

Email: editor@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s tourism takings rose 12 per cent in 2024 to about $3.7 billion, UN World Tourism Organization data show, marking steady gains for the Kingdom as a regional destination.

The rise follows a national drive to raise tourism’s share of GDP and widen the economy.

The Ministry of Tourism and the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), working with private partners, have launched projects, upgraded infrastructure and broadened a year-round roster of events to draw visitors from varied markets.

Offer

A wider offer has helped. Leisure and festival travel sit alongside family, cultural and sports trips.

Service levels in hotels and transport have improved, with new properties opening under a plan to add capacity and strengthen the end-to-end visitor experience.

Across the Arab region, performance in 2024 varied.

Receipts

The United Arab Emirates led on receipts at roughly $57 billion, up 10 per cent on 2023.

Saudi Arabia followed at about $41 billion, a 14 per cent rise supported by Hajj and Umrah traffic and by tourism and entertainment schemes linked to Vision 2030.

Bahrain’s figures align with the Tourism Strategy 2022–2026, which seeks major investment and aims to position the Kingdom as a preferred family and leisure stop in the Gulf and further afield, drawing on its history, culture and recent build-out of attractions.