Tourism
and Leisure

Powerful Growth in Bahrain’s Tourism and Leisure Sectors

Tourism is a crucial part of Bahrain’s economic evolution as the country has established a strategic focus on developing a robust tourism sector based on diversified hotel products, an increasing variety of restaurant, retail, and entertainment options, and a long-established culture of hospitality. Strong investment growth in the sector has been fuelled by a significant increase in the number of visitors, which now exceeds 12 million per year. The sector’s growth is encouraged through the global network of tourism promotion offices and an increased focus on inbound tourism by Bahrain tour operators and the country’s national airline. These efforts are building Bahrain’s reputation globally as a unique tourism destination and has ranked Bahrain as the number one expatriate destination globally in the 2017 InterNations Expat Survey.

The sector contributed to xx% of Bahrain’s GDP in 2017 [figure to be updated when data is available], and is expected to further increase. More than US$10 billion will be pumped into new developments over the next five years, resulting in several new five-star and four-star hotels, and beachfront resorts. Meanwhile, of the country’s US$32 billion infrastructure investments, US$13.1 billion is directly related to tourism.

Recently, the Bahrain EDB collaborated with the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority to develop the tourism brand ‘Ours. Yours. Bahrain’, which has become recognised as a prominent tourism brand in the GCC. The aim was to unify Bahrain’s tourism and hospitality sector under a single proposition and as a means of presenting Bahrain as a superb tourist destination, with leading initiatives to improve tourism investment opportunities in the country.

In 2017, many brands seized the opportunities available to them. Bahrain welcomed the arrival of world-class hospitality and lifestyle projects such as Wyndham Garden Suites, Wyndham Grand, Ibis Styles, and The Avenues Mall, which is expected to generate more than 4,000 job opportunities alone. In the retail sector, Bahrain has attracted many more well-loved brands, including Five Guys, Slider Station, and Fire Grille.