Dubai: Bahrain is almost back to normal after weeks of riots and protests that gripped the capital city of Manama, a Bahraini tourism official told Gulf News.
Nada Ahmad Yaseen, acting assistant undersecretary for tourism, said that life in Bahrain has started to return to normal after unrest that saw hundreds of people take to the streets in anti-government protests.
"I'm not saying it's completely back to normal but we are having lots of people come across the causeway, and there are no more protests at all," she told Gulf News at the Bahrain stand at the Arabian Travel Market yesterday.
Yaseen also moved to squash rumours that the Manama leg of the Formula One Grand Prix had been cancelled in the wake of the recent unrest. She said that the race had only been postponed.
"I think it will happen this year, we are very optimistic about it," she said.
Yaseen added that linking what occurred in Egypt and Tunisia to the events in Bahrain was too simplistic. Bahrain, she said, was a progressive nation that had pioneered in the region in areas such as education for women and welfare.
"Bahrain is a completely different country and it cannot be compared to others. It has its own nature," she said.
"For example, if you are unemployed in Bahrain then the government gives you 150 dinars a week and actually helps you to find a job. They pay you until you find a job. This shows that Bahrain cannot be compared to Egypt. It is very different."
In terms of the tourism industry, Yaseen said that Bahrain was set to double its hotel stock.
"We currently have nine five-star hotels in Bahrain and there are currently another nine in the approval stages.
"There is also a four-star hotel due to be opened yesterday which is going to be run by a five-star operator, Gulf Hotel. There are big names actually coming through in Bahrain," she said.
Aviation:Restoring regular rota
Bahrain's airlines have reported losses during the period of unrest in the country, but are looking to restore normal schedules soon.
Bahrain Air, the country's second carrier, told Gulf News that it had slashed 20 per cent of flights during the unrest, mostly to locations in the Levant such as Syria, as well as Egypt and Libya.
Richard Nuttall, director for commercial operations, said that the airline had scrapped its routes to seven of its 19 destinations, including the Levant. But he added that February and March were typically quiet periods for Bahrain Air.
"The impact on the bottom line is very small. If it had happened in January it might have been different," he said.
He added that while the outbound Bahraini traffic had slowed, transit — which accounts for the bulk of flights to the country — was still going strong because Bahrain Airport was unaffected.
"We are optimistic that people will start to travel again in the summer, and we are looking to restore our normal schedule from June 20," he said.
Bahrain's major carrier, Gulf Air, declined to reveal exact figures of losses over the last two months, but a spokesperson told Gulf News that the airline was still not flying to Iran, Iraq and Libya for security reasons.
"It has affected us, but we are starting to look forward now," the spokesman added. He said that transit traffic — which accounts for 70 per cent of Gulf Air's flights — was slightly affected, but it was not major due to the absence of a transit travel warning from foreign embassies.
