The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) organized a familiarization trip for a delegation of 9 women from renowned Saudi travel agencies and tour operators. Hosting the trip comes in line with BTEA’s efforts to showcase the Kingdom’s tourism facilities and attractions, as well as introduce visitors to its rich history with an aim to further develop the tourism sector and increase its contribution to the national economy.
The familiarization trip, held between the 3rd and 5th of October 2019, was organized in collaboration with BTEA’s representative office in KSA. During the trip, the delegation met with local representatives from the tourism industry and were taken on several sightseeing tours in Bahrain.
“KSA is considered one of the largest tourism markets across the region and visitors from KSA comprise a huge portion of tourists in Bahrain, holding 88% of the market share. Since the start of this year, BTEA’s collaboration with Saudi travel agencies through its KSA representative office has resulted in attracting approximately 31,500 visitors in Q1 of 2019, a growth of 31%, and BHD 11.9 million in total spending. In the first half of 2019, the total number of Saudi visitors amounted to 5.3 million, including business and project owners which contributes to supporting the local GDP,” said Tourism Advisor at BTEA, Dr. Ali Follad.
Organizing the familiarization trip comes in line with the BTEA’s strategy to promote and develop the country’s tourism sector under the slogan of ‘Ours.Yours.’, which contributes towards Bahrain’s economy and the 2030 Economic Vision.
