According to the
Bahrain Economic Development Board, a steady increase in visitor numbers set to
significantly boost Kingdom’s GDP in the next decade; Renewed emphasis placed on
tourism as key economic driver with 3,000 hotel rooms in development pipeline
Bahrain returns to ATM this
year to showcase its expanding hotel and tourism infrastructure with an active
hotel pipeline of 13 properties, 3,000 hotel rooms and with tourism expected to
contribute US$1 billion by the end of the decade.
The increase in rooms, which
are split between the luxury and four-star brackets, is set against a backdrop
of occupancy levels above 52% as per CB Richard Ellis data, and average rates
are in line with similar market movement in other regional hubs.
According to the country’s
Economic Development Board, its tourism sector was expected to grow further in 2015,
after continued gains in the 2014 visitor numbers of 10 million, an 11%
increase over the previous year.
US-headquartered chain,
Wyndham Hotel Group, has four properties under development and due to open
within the next 12-18 months while Emaar Hospitality Group has announced plans
to launch four hotels under its Address and Vida brands, by 2018. Luxury
Asia-based brand, Anantara, will also open on Durrat Al Bahrain in 2018.
“Bahrain is making significant
investment into its tourism-related infrastructure, including a much-needed $1.1
billion airport expansion, and also has plans to expand its current exhibition
centre to accommodate large-scale events across all categories; so this year’s
ATM will provide an excellent platform for the Kingdom’s tourism and hospitality
community to highlight their future vision for the country,” said Nadege Noblet-Segers, Exhibition
Manager, Arabian Travel Market.
In addition, a new $3
billion road and rail crossing is being planned for completion in 2018, to
reduce the congestion on the existing King Fahd causeway which is used by 10
million vehicles a year. The new causeway and bridge, would undoubtedly
increase family travel from all states connected to the proposed GCC rail
network, offering Bahrain access to a broader range of mid-market
travelers.
According to the
Q3 2015 YouGov Travel Oracle insight report, one-third (36%) of surveyed leisure
travellers choose budget hotels when travelling for pleasure, with Asian expats
the most likely to opt for low cost accommodation (52%) and 35% of all
respondents stating that reasonable cost is one of the most important elements
when considering a leisure destination.
Overall, 41% of travellers
interviewed had a per person trip budget of US$1,000 or less, thus putting cost
high on the priority list.
“This clearly demonstrates
the growing appetite of travellers for a wide array of accommodation options,
and in offering mid-market options this frees up additional visitor spend for
other tourism activities,” said Noblet-Segers.
The YouGov report also
looked at business travel with 15% of total respondents reporting a decrease in
corporate travel budget over the last 12 months, which is accordingly
highlighting an opportunity for mid-level brands to target the newly
budget-conscious corporate traveller.
“Bahrain
is an all-round destination as either an ideal short break location for GCC
residents, especially those from Saudi Arabia, or for Europeans in search of
summer sun, as well as for business travellers and conference delegates,” added
Noblet-Segers.
Bahrain-based
companies confirmed to participate at ATM 2016 include the Kingdom of Bahrain
Ministry of Culture Tourism Sector, Ramee Grand Hotel & Spa, 24x7rooms.com,
Gulf Hotel and Sabre.
ATM 2016 will build on the
success of this year’s edition with the announcement of an additional hall as
Reed Travel Exhibitions looks to add to its record-breaking achievements
earlier this year. ATM 2015 witnessed a year-on-year visitor attendance
increase of 15% to over 26,000, with exhibiting companies increasing by 5% to
2,873. Business deals worth more than US$2.5 billion were signed over the four
days.
For more information on Arabian Travel Market 2016,
please go to: www.arabiantravelmarket.com
