Manama: More than 250,000 people entered Bahrain in one week, the Assistant Undersecretary for Ports, Search and Follow-up at the General Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Residence (GDNPR) said on Thursday.
He said that 212,063 of the 251,924 people who entered Bahrain on November 5-11, arrived from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries via King Fahad Causeway, while 39,669 flew into Bahrain International Airport and 192 came into the kingdom through seaports.
The causeway, the longest in the Arab world, was opened on November 26, 1986 by the late King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia and the late Emir Shaikh Eisa Bin Salman Al Khalifa of Bahrain. It is today one of the busiest traffic areas between Arab countries.
Drivers who use the causeway pay a 2 Bahraini dinar (Dh19.2) or a 20 Saudi riyal (Dh19.5) fee, but no charges are imposed on passengers, regardless of their numbers.
Authorities in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have recently issued statements about increasing the number of lanes for cars, buses and trucks to help deal with traffic congestions, particularly during the weekends and holidays.
While the average number of people who use the causeway per day is around 40,000, a record was set on September 27 when more than 105,000 passengers crossed it.
Officials in Bahrain said the 105,182 travellers made the highest one-day figure since the terrestrial link was opened. These figures coincided with the Eid Al Adha holidays in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the Arab and Islamic countries.
Several Saudi nationals and Saudi Arabia-based foreigners who work or study in Bahrain commute daily while a large number of Bahrain-based expatriates and Bahrainis use the causeway daily to go to their work or universities.
The causeway is also used by trucks, mainly from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE, heading towards Bahrain to deliver or load products.
Long queues of vehicles are often seen at the entrance or exit of the causeway, especially over the weekends.
