Tag Archives: Kingdom of Bahrain

Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) is set to launch its brand-new campaign #WeWillMeet; as a part of its efforts to increase the number of tourists coming into the Kingdom of Bahrain with a special focus on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia post COVID-19. The campaign, which will be spread over the span of a year, will be launched in three parts, which will first kick off with the ‘Inspirational’ phase connecting with followers digitally through interactive posts and live sessions, move on to the ’Encouragement’ phase which will focus on the promotion of the islands activities, and ends with the phase of ‘Transformation’ which involves face-to-face interaction with visitors once events are safe to host once again. “We wanted to launch a proactive campaign to increase the number of visitors coming into the Kingdom from all around the world and specifically target those in Saudi Arabia, which shapes a significant part of the total inbound tourism coming into Bahrain each year. Once the situation allows, we expect to attract more visitors as Bahrain has always been considered an ideal and convenient weekend getaway for Saudis due its close proximity to multitude of attractions and experiences we have to offer,” said Nader Al Moayyed, Chief Executive Officer of BTEA. “We opted for an end to end digital campaign, to not only target the masses that have shifted online as a result of the epidemic, but also to directly tap into a new segment and appeal to the millennials and Generation Z’s that are online,” Moayyed added.

The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) has announced the dates of the fourth edition of the annual Sea Festival, which will be held at Marassi Beach for a period of 10 days from November 7-16. First launched in 2016, the Sea Festival celebrates the Kingdom’s historical ties to the sea, seeking to educate modern-day visitors and tourists on the Kingdom’s deeply-rooted past and revive the Kingdom’s sea legacy by showcasing several sea-related traditions and activities. BTEA continues its efforts to showcase the Kingdom of Bahrain as the ideal tourism destination for families which offers a unique experience to visitors of all ages. This year’s edition of the Sea Festival will include a number of attractions such as water sports activities, boat rides, traditional music performances, handicrafts, and pearl merchants. There will also be plenty of entertainment during the Festival with an amazing on-stage Sea World Performance (Cirque De La Mer) alongside a museum, outdoor cinema and an interactive play area for kids. The Sea Festival aligns with the BTEA’s overall strategy which aims at developing and strengthening the tourism sector under the slogan ‘Ours. Yours’, which contribute towards the Kingdom’s economy and 2030 Economic Vision.

The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) continues to adopt initiatives with an aim to attract more tourists to the Kingdom of Bahrain and increase the tourism sector’s contribution to the national economy. In light of this, BTEA welcomed passengers who arrived on the first charter flight of the new season from Moscow on October 7, 2019. The first flight commissioned by Coral Travel within the charter programme from Moscow to Bahrain took place in October 2018 with two flights scheduled per week. This will be increased to three weekly flights until May 2020, carrying 220 passengers that will be staying in 30 different hotels across Bahrain. “The BTEA has strengthened its presence, bilaterial relations and partnerships with travel and tourism organisations, tour operators, travel agents and airlines across the world through its representative offices located in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), India, France, Germany, Russia, Kuwait and the United Kingdom. We will continue to work closely with all our representative offices to bring in tourist groups from around the world, further developing the tourism sector and increasing the contribution of non-oil based sectors of the national economy,” said Dr. Ali Follad, Tourism Advisor at BTEA. Receiving charter flights comes as part of the BTEA’s long term strategy to bring in large tourist groups, further developing the Kingdom’s tourism sector on a regional and international level under the slogan of ‘Ours.Yours.’, which contributes towards the Kingdom’s economy and the 2030 Economic Vision.

One of the leading travel agencies in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Al Khunaizi Travel, has signed a long-term agreement with Sabre Corporation, the leading technology provider to the global travel industry. Under this agreement, Al Khunaizi will continue to access Sabre’s marketplace of more than 400 airlines, 750,000 hotel properties, and hundreds of tour operators, rail, car and cruise providers, giving Al Khunaizi the opportunity to sell personalised travel packages from suppliers all over the world. The agency accesses the marketplace through the Sabre Red 360 platform, which features a customisable and intuitive user experience using data-driven insights to guide travel consultants. “New technology is driving changes in consumer behaviour and traveller expectations, and there’s now a greater demand for more personalised services,” said Ammar Al Khunaizi, CEO, Al Khunaizi Travel. “Sabre’s advanced technology and expertise, combined with its skilled team, have helped optimise our business, and cemented our position as a pioneer in delivering new traveller experiences. We look forward to growing with Sabre and delivering a superior personalised travel service to our customers.” “As traveller expectations evolve, so must the travel industry, and travel management companies that embrace advancements in data, online and mobile will continue to stay relevant in today’s fast-changing world,” said Abdul-Razzaq Iyer, Vice President, Sabre Travel Network Middle East. “Our advanced technology and network of travel suppliers will help Al Khunaizi to offer a wealth of choice to its travellers and provide personalised and seamless traveller experiences.”

Global Travel and Tourism, one of the leading travel agencies in the Kingdom of Bahrain, has signed an exclusive multi-year agreement with Sabre Corporation to continue use of its innovative technology and platform to manage travel. Under this agreement, Global Travel will continue to access Sabre’s portfolio of innovative technology and its intelligent platform Sabre Red 360, allowing it to harness more data, content and flexibility to differentiate its offering, compete more effectively and grow faster in the region. “As a key customer for Sabre for more than a decade, we’re thrilled to continue to support the future growth and plans of Global Travel,” said Abdul Razzaq-Iyer, Vice President, Sabre Travel Network Middle East. “We are constantly evolving our technology, enabling us to offer agencies faster innovation and more flexible solutions infused with data-driven insights.” Online travel is growing significantly in the Middle East driven by high adoption for consumer technologies and high expectations from the travel players. Studies indicate that online travel bookings represent approximately 32 per cent of the overall ME travel market and this is projected to reach 40 percent by 2021. “We are delighted to renew our long-standing partnership with Sabre to support our plans to enter the online space,” said Suhaib Kidwai, CEO, Global Travel and Tours. “We have enjoyed a very successful long-standing partnership with Sabre and now it’s time to extend this privilege to use their global expertise to establish our online presence in the region. We are sure Sabre is the right partner to lead us through this transition and trust that it has the technology, expertise and the right team to make this happen.”

Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) hosted the 19th edition of ‘Forum Des Pionniers’, held from May 12-16 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre. H.E. Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism; H.E. Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer, BTEA and H.E. Cécile Longé, Ambassador of France to the Kingdom of Bahrain presided over the event. During the course of the event, 127 tourism professionals including travel agents, airline and hotel representatives participated in various workshops. Meetings were also held to discuss issues specifically related to the field of travel in France, particularly around the theme of ‘Management of Intelligences’. In addition, the forum opens up new opportunities for regional and global businesses to enhance experience sharing, seek investment opportunities and boost cooperation. “Forum Des Pionniers is a great opportunity to promote the Kingdom’s tourism potential by establishing business relationships with French travel agents, tour operators and tourism organizations with an aim to increase the number of international visitors coming into Bahrain,” said Al Zayani. Further commenting on the event, Al Khalifa said, “Hosting the 19th edition of the forum comes in line with the BTEA’s long term strategy to further develop the Kingdom’s tourism sector and strengthen its position on a regional and international level under the slogan of ‘Ours.Yours.’, which contributes towards the Kingdom’s economy and the 2030 Economic Vision.”  

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, is onboard once again, supporting ‘Shop Bahrain’ for the fourth consecutive year as official airline of the nationwide shopping festival. As a strategic partner of ‘Shop Bahrain’, Gulf Air is providing more than 6,000 airline tickets at discounted prices as raffle prizes. In addition, Gulf Air customers will receive 4 points for every 1BHD spent when purchasing flights throughout the festival period which runs until February 10, 2018. Captain Waleed Abdulhameed Al Alawi, Deputy CEO, Gulf Air, said, “We are delighted to partner with ‘Shop Bahrain’ once again. This strategic partnership is in line with Gulf Air’s ongoing commitment to support initiatives that help drive the growth of the tourism, retail and hospitality sectors in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It is fitting that we collaborate in this regard, further strengthening Bahrain’s positioning as an attractive destination regionally, while helping to showcase the Kingdom’s tourist attractions and encourage visitors to experience the trademark Arabian hospitality.” Yousef Al Khan, Director, ‘Shop Bahrain’, stated, “This year, we have been coordinating with Gulf Air and various hotels in the Kingdom to develop attractive tourist packages. We aim to offer visitors an unforgettable shopping experience packed with fun-filled events and promotions.”.

The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) hosted Saudi wedding planning agencies from Jeddah and Riyadh from the October 21-23. Seven agencies were selected to attend the forum held at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIECC) on October 23, where they met 30 various companies from the Kingdom of Bahrain to discuss future opportunities in the sector. The companies included major hotels, wedding planning agencies, travel logistics companies and banquet halls. “We are delighted to host the largest Saudi Arabian wedding planning agencies to promote the wide range of wedding services and amenities available in the Kingdom. The BTEA strives to host such events that aim to showcase the Kingdom’s offerings as a wedding destination as well as the international luxury hotel chains and boutique offerings,” said Dr. Ali Hassan Follad, Advisor to the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority.

The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) signed an agreement to regulate air transport services between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Bahrain. In light of the Bahrain Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ objective to upgrade all its services, especially in the air transport sector with close cooperation between the UAE and its sister, the GCAA witnessed an MOU signing ceremony between the two countries after a successful round of negotiations. Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of UAE, GCAA expressed his appreciation to the Kingdom of Bahrain for hosting important negotiations and raising the development of air transport services between the two countries. Mohammed Thamer Al Kaabi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation Affairs said, “The draft agreement signed with the UAE represents a qualitative leap in the organisation and development of air transport services between the two countries for providing legal frameworks that meet the highest aviation security and safety requirements.”

The largest nationwide festival in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Shop Bahrain unveiled its’ Calendar of Events for the much-awaited festival during a press conference held at the Capital Club. The third-edition of the Bahrain Shopping Festival, ‘Shop Bahrain’, is a unique 30-day celebration of Bahrain’s hospitality and tourism offering for the entire family and boasts a wide range of events and unbeatable promotions for residents and visitors. The festival will mirror the Kingdom’s position as an accessible family destination, renowned for its close proximity to the Gulf countries with easy access through the King Fahad Causeway and the Bahrain International Airport. The Festival will offer an incredibly diverse range of retail experiences. The Festival, co-organized by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) and Tamkeen, is held in cooperation with the partners from the public and private sector such as Batelco, Gulf Air, and YK Al Moayyed & Sons. Organizers also held a Gulf-wide roadshow spanning the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar in order to promote the festival. Shop Bahrain will feature a ‘Festival City’, located in Bahrain Bay, and will boast a number of activities for the entire family including games, food stalls along with live entertainment and performances. Shop Bahrain will also include a fun-filled schedule of entertaining activities at the participating shopping malls and hotels. Shoppers will be enrolled in the Festival’s loyalty system when purchasing directly from any participating outlet and partner allowing them to win a wide range of prizes including one of the 12 cars and over 25,000 valuable prizes. The four weekly raffle draws will take place at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism headquarters.