Tag Archives: Bahrain

It was announced by the UK Government that, from 1 June, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will join other Gulf Cooperation Council countries with UK electronic visa waiver status, making it easier and cheaper to travel to the UK. This positive change comes as the UK is open to business and welcoming back international visitors with all COVID-19 travel restrictions lifted.  VisitBritain has already been rolling out a multi-million-pound global GREAT Britain marketing campaign “Welcome to another side of Britain” to inspire visitors to book a trip to the UK. VisitBritain Director for Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa (APMEA) and North Asia Tricia Warwick said: “It is fantastic news that travel to the UK will become easier for travellers from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain who will now be able to obtain their British visa in 48 hours and for 30 GBP. Saudi Arabia is one of our highest spending markets, we know there is strong pent-up demand for international travel from the Gulf and making it easier for visitors to get to the UK is crucial to our message of welcome and to our competitive tourism offer. We know that GCC visitors are keen to visit the UK now that travel restrictions have eased and we can’t wait to welcome them back. GCC visitors enjoy our outstanding experiences whether that be in shopping, sports events, food or our beautiful landscapes. “VisitBritain is out in market competing hard for visitors from the Gulf at the Arabian Travel Market this week in Dubai, working with top travel trade buyers from across the region to highlight why now is a brilliant time to book a trip to Britain. We very much hope that visitors …

Emirates will be providing more choice and comfort for its customers in Bahrain, with the introduction of the first scheduled Airbus A380 service during the month of June. This is the first time an airline operates the double-decker on a regularly scheduled basis to the Kingdom, and demonstrates the operational readiness of the new airport to provide the necessary infrastructure to accommodate for an A380 service.  Flight EK 839/840, previously operated by a Boeing 777-300ER, has been upgraded to the flagship and customer favourite, the Emirates A380. The change of aircraft will help meet growing demand to and from Bahrain during the summer, and underscores the airline’s commitment to make connections for travellers to and through Dubai even easier. In line with the start of A380 services, the airline is also offering special fares to popular destinations for Bahrainis including Dubai, Istanbul and Maldives. Economy passengers can enjoy fares to Dubai starting from BHD 108, Istanbul from BHD 226 and Maldives from BHD 400. Fares in Business Class start from BHD 683 to Dubai, BHD 770 to Istanbul and BHD 1,063 to the Maldives. The offer is valid for booking from today, until 30 June 2021 for outbound travel until 31 December 2021.* Emirates flight EK 837 will depart Dubai daily at 1530hrs, arriving in Bahrain at 1550hrs. The return flight EK 840 leaves Bahrain at 1750hrs, arriving in Dubai at 2000hrs. The Emirates A380 aircraft will operate daily, in addition to an earlier morning service, EK837/838, served by a Boeing 777-300ER. The Emirates Airbus A380 aircraft serving the Dubai-Bahrain route offers a total of 507 seats in a three-class configuration, with 417 spacious seats in Economy Class, 76 fully …

Air Arabia Egypt, has announced the introduction of a new service to the capital of Bahrain, Manama with direct flights from Cairo commencing on May 6, 2021. Customers can now book their direct flights between Cairo and Manama by visiting Air Arabia’s website, by calling the call centre or through travel agencies. Since COVID-19 outbreak, Air Arabia’s customer journey has been upgraded to include all safety measures that are in line with the highest international measures. Air Arabia’s entire fleet is fitted with HEPA cabin air filters, which help to provide a safer and healthier environment for passengers. Customers are always requested to comply with the conditions and requirements of the countries of departure and destination.

Emirates airline has reaffirmed its commitment to growing its operations in Bahrain with the introduction of a second daily flight to the Kingdom. The expanded schedule will offer enhanced connectivity for customers travelling to Dubai and beyond to Emirates’ network of over 85 destinations. The second daily flight will be operated by an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER. Starting from 20 September, EK837 will depart from Dubai at 0945hrs, arriving in Bahrain at 1000hrs. The return flight, EK838 will depart from Bahrain 1130hrs, arriving in Dubai at 1355hrs. Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, Emirates sales offices, via travel agents as well as online travel agents. Customers can stop over or travel to Dubai as the city has re-opened for international business and leisure visitors. Ensuring the safety of travellers, visitors, and the community, COVID-19 PCR tests are mandatory for all inbound and transit passengers arriving to Dubai (and the UAE), including UAE citizens, residents and tourists, irrespective of the country they are coming from.

The embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Bahrain announced that its citizens can return to the Kingdom via the King Fahd Causeway without prior permission, as of Thursday July 23, 2020. Saudi citizens who wish to return to Saudi Arabia should comply with the precautionary measures in force in the Kingdom. The reopening of the causeway comes as Bahrain and Saudi ease COVID-19 restrictions. The 25km-long causeway linking Saudi Arabia and Bahrain is instrumental to economic and tourism activities in both countries. Last year Bahrain received a total of 11.1 million visitors, with 88% are coming through the King Fahad causeway, accounting for 9.7 million visitors

The German National Tourist Office-Gulf countries (GNTO) hosted a B2B travel trade networking lunch in the Kingdom of Bahrain in partnership with Lufthansa Airlines. The aim of GNTO’s series of B2B events is to promote Germany as a year-round travel destination and to highlight the latest tourism attractions for the year 2020. The event was attended by the German Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain His Excellency Kai Boeckmann together with selected Bahraini travel trade professionals, key opinion leaders, and media. His Excellency Kai Boeckmann said, “Diversity is a key element that Germany offers and I’m delighted to invite Bahraini tourists to visit my homeland to enjoy a memorable visit.” Mark Pey, General Manager Sales, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain & Yemen, Lufthansa Group said, “Today’s networking event has been one of huge importance to us, year on year we’re seeing an increase in Bahraini nationals visiting Germany and choosing Lufthansa as their airline of choice. Lufthansa first started operating to Germany from Bahrain on April 2, 1985, and is proud to continue connecting the countries by offering customers premium products and services.” Nicole Zaspel, Sales & Marketing Manager for the Gulf countries at GNTO, an affiliate of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) shared, “The GCC market, is the third-largest non-European source market behind China and the United States and is very important to us. We’ve seen incredible growth with 1.8 million overnight stays by GCC nationals in 2018 compared to 7,70,000 overnight stays in 2009, which demonstrates that the annual number of overnight stays has grown by 130% over the past decade.”

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Dubai & Middle East Office in partnership with Royal Thai Embassy in Manama, Bahrain and The Gulf Hotel, Bahrain and Gulf Air will launch the Thai Festival 2019 on March 26 at The Gulf Hotel, Bahrain. The EATHAI VISITHAI 2019 promotion will run from March 26 to April 25, 2019 and will see the city come to life as people celebrate Thai culture and cuisine with incredible discounts on offer at 13 of Bahrain’s finest dining establishments. The participating venues will showcase their appetizing special Thai dishes with tasting and a live cooking show at the exclusive launch event on March 26. These include The BF Food Bahrain, Shada Restaurant, Tom Yum Kung Restaurant, Honey Restaurant, Monsoon Restaurant, Royal Thai-Gulf Hotel Bahrain, Wang Thai Restaurant, Thong Eak Restaurant, Som Tum Thai Restaurant, Thai Seafood Restaurant, Wok This Way Restaurant, Top Thai Restaurant and Ayothaya Restaurant. H E Thanis Na Songkhla, Ambassador, Royal Thai Embassy Manama, Bahrain, said, “We are thrilled to bring The Thai Festival 2019 to the Kingdom of Bahrain. Thai food is incredibly popular in the region and we are excited to showcase it further at this exciting festival.” Pichaya Saisaengchan, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand Dubai & Middle East Office, added, “The Thai Festival has been an ongoing success in the Kingdom of Bahrain and we’re excited to see it return for another edition. It’s an incredible way to showcase our world-renowned cuisine and guests will be able to avail incredible discounts and win fabulous prizes.”

The Higher Organising Committee of IWAS World Games Sharjah 2019 confirmed that 1,462 participants from 50 countries are set to compete in the world’s largest wheelchair and amputee sports championship in Sharjah from February 10-16. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member Ruler of Sharjah, the IWAS World Games has returned to the emirate for the second time after its successful debut in the city in 2011. The eighth edition of the world championship brings together seven games including archery, athletics, badminton, swimming, shooting, table tennis and wheelchair fencing. New details of the upcoming biennial sports championship were revealed at a press conference held recently at Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & Spa. Global athletes landing in Sharjah over the next few days are set to represent 50 competing nations confirmed by the Higher Organising Committee which include the UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Algeria, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, India, Sweden, Ukraine, Thailand, Turkey, Brazil, Portugal, Switzerland, Japan, Australia, Kenya, Russia, China, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Italy, South Africa, South Korea, Poland, Pakistan, Norway, Kenya, Latvia, Macau, Azerbaijan, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Serbia, France, Georgia, the UK, the US, Hong Kong, Greece, Czech Republic, Austria, Belarus and Comoros.

As a result of the efforts by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority (BTEA) to promote the Kingdom of Bahrain as a destination for weddings and other happy occasions, the Kingdom of Bahrain hosted an Indian wedding of the son of Indian businessman, Sushil Mantri, from Bengaluru, from December 15 to December 17 2018, at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay. The event attracted more than 800 guests who travelled on Bahrain’s national carrier, Gulf Air, from various Indian cities, including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai, and from other parts of the world. The three-day wedding included a series of activities, the first of which was the arrival of the bride and groom in a traditional Bahraini environment and means of transportation; the groom arrived on a purebred Arabian horse accompanied by traditional Indian music and dancers, while the bride arrived to the scene of the wedding onboard a traditional boat at Bahrain Bay. After the ceremony, Bahrain’s skyline was adorned with a display of fireworks to celebrate the wedding and the Kingdom’s national holiday, commemorating the joy of both glorious occasions. On the second day of the celebrations, the guests were invited to a traditional Souk (bazaar) that was hosted at the Hotel’s large halls, allowing guests to witness traditional Bahraini craftsmen at work, manufacturing beautifully-crafted products made of gold and pearls, traditional women’s and men’s clothing; and enjoy traditional sweets and beverages that were presented. To conclude the third and final day, a special social and sports programme was organised at Bahrain International Circuit to enjoy karting as a final farewell. Commenting on this occasion, Dr Ali Hasan Follad, Adviser, BTEA, said, “BTEA has played a pivotal role …

Tens of thousands of visitors have visited the National Festival of Heritage and Culture, the 33rd edition of Janadria, organised by the Ministry of National Guard under the slogan ‘Faithfulness and Loyalty.’ The heritage village at the festival as well as the shows of the folk groups from various regions of Saudi Arabia and some Arabian Gulf countries are popular and have become a milestone in the most beautiful elements of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Janadria is the largest cultural festival in Saudi Arabia and the largest event of its kind in the world that is being held for 21 days during the period from December 20, 2018 to January 9, 2019 as part of efforts to intensify attention to the Saudi heritage and regional and international visibility. In addition, it promotes a dialogue of cultures and civilisations between nations and people. The heritage village at Janadria is attracting thousands of families from different age groups, in addition to the artisans who are present throughout the festival area, especially in the folk market. The National Festival of Heritage and Culture offers heritage lovers a unique application which includes a complete definition of the Janadria Festival, a map of the stands and elements of the festival, activities and updated news about the festival on a daily basis. The folk groups programme is one of the most important pillars of the festival and there are more than 700 people that reflect the folk heritage, customs and traditions of all regions of Saudi Arabia and the GCC countries of the UAE, Bahrain and Oman.