Home Industry Tourism Bahrain tourism projects valued at $13bn The kingdom welcomed 8.7 million tourists in the first nine months of 2017 by Staff Writer December 28, 2017 Investment into Bahrain’s tourism infrastructure has reached more than BHD4.9bn ($13bn), according to the country’s Economic Development Board. The figure covers 14 major projects that aim to boost growth in the kingdom’s tourism and leisure sector, read a statement by state news agency BNA – a sector that has enjoyed rapid growth over the past year, with the total number of tourists visiting Bahrain increasing by 12.8 per cent in the first nine months of 2017. The enhanced infrastructure has supported this growth, which plays a significant role in Bahrain’s economic diversification efforts, added BNA. Simon Galpin, managing director of Bahrain EDB, said: “The total number of tourists visiting Bahrain has reached 8.7 million during the first nine months of this year, a significant number considering our resident population of only 1.5 million people. “The tourism sector is one of the key investment sectors we recognise as having a strong competitive advantage for Bahrain. It contributes 6.3 per cent to the country’s GDP, and is set to grow significantly, as the number of visitors and leisure activities increase. Bahrain continues to reaffirm its position as a tourism destination of choice with a number of new hotels, retail and leisure developments currently underway.” Investment into tourism projects is part of Bahrain’s large-scale infrastructure development, covering a wide range of sectors and valued at over $32bn. The public-private sector investment includes $10bn of government funding, $7.5bn under the GCC Development Fund, and $15bn investment from the private sector. 0 Comments
