Tourism Ministry affirms support to Vatel Bahrain

TDT | Manama                                                             

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Tourism Minister Fatima bint Jaafar Al Sairafi extended the ministry’s support to Vatel Bahrain – International Hospitality School in its pivotal role of contributing to Bahrain’s hospitality sector with highly qualified and expertly trained talent. The school’s development is at the forefront of the Ministry of Tourism’s initiatives to develop the tourism sector under the framework of Bahrain’s Tourism Strategy 2022-2026. The Minister toured Vatel’s various facilities and met with the Director General Shaikh Khaled bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.

She stressed the continuation of developing the school’s ability and potential to meet the labour market needs of the Hospitality sector, especially hotels, restaurants and cafes. Al Sairafi directed the school’s administration to reinforce collaborations with the hospitality sector to ensure attractive job opportunities and internships are provided which will enable the students and graduates to contribute to developing high standards in hospitality services offered in the kingdom.

She highlighted the role of Vatel Bahrain in providing quality job opportunities to Bahrainis seeing, as 62% of the students are Bahraini. “We hope to see more Bahrainis graduates in the hospitality sector, who interact directly with the Kingdom’s guests, tourists and visitors, and provide them with an enriching experience of Bahrain’s culture, heritage and people,” she said. The CEO of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), Dr Nasser Ali Qaedi, expressed his appreciation of Vatel’s progress in achieving tourism infrastructure and practical education, making it the most coveted place to study and support the development of the tourism and hospitality sectors in the Kingdom.

Dr Nasser stressed the various opportunities Vatel provides for skills development and guidance including jobs, volunteer work, internships and all that ensures both personal and professional development of the students. Shaikh Khaled affirmed the commitment of Vatel Bahrain to achieve the goals set forth by the Ministry of Tourism to support the tourism sector in general and the hospitality industry specifically, and build a bright future for Bahraini students, and to help them become the ideal choice of employment as hospitality professionals. He expressed his hope to attract international students.