‘Arab Tourism Day’ celebrated

Manama : Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) celebrated the ‘Arab Tourism Day’ under the theme “Tourism and the Development of Local Communities” at the Arcapita Building, the other day. Held under the patronage of Zayed bin Rashid A Zayani, Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism, the event was attended by representatives from the hospitality industry, Gulf Air and other industry representatives.

“This initiative aims to strengthen the role of the tourism sector as a contributing element to the economy to support the Kingdom’s vision to diversify the economy and revitalize the nonoil sector. , It also aims to showcase Bahrain as a regional and international tourism hub,” said Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani.

“The Kingdom, represented by BTEA, has always stressed on the importance of shifting the tourism sector to be one of the main contributors to the economy. It has also implemented measures that aim to increase the sector’s current contribution to the GDP to reach 7 per cent by year 2018,” he added.

The event kicked-off with the screening of a video produced by the Arab Tourism Organization demonstrating the voyage of renowned scholar ‘Ibn Battuta’ and his significant historic role during his travels and excursions around the world which enriched the Arab culture. The celebration is significant in that it coincides with the birth date of the scholar. Following the video, there was a presentation by Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer of BTEA, who revealed the latest data released by the ATO about the tourism industry in the Arab countries and the importance of the development of this vibrant industry in the journey of sustainable economic development.

“We are delighted to celebrate the ‘Arab Tourism Day’, an initiative that supports BTEA’s objectives of simulating intra-regional tourism and fostering industry activity that will serve to further economic opportunities,” commented Shaikh Khaled. He highlighted the growth of the tourism sector development indicators for the year 2015 to 2016.