Bahrain delves into history to bring in the visitors

A number of tourism projects by international investors and a scattering of public beaches will secure Bahrain's position on the region's tourism map. However the government will also emphasise the kingdom's rich history to attract tourists.

Tourists will be able to choose many tours to a number of historical sites with informative guides, Mubarak Al Atwi, assistant undersecretary for tourism affairs at the Ministry of Information, told Gulf News.

"We will also be renovating these sites to include a coffee shop and a traditional house which will exhibit Bahrain's traditions and customs," he said.

Bahrain's history extends back to more than 4,000 years dating back to the Dilmun era, Tylos, Portuguese and more.

"The renovation will be completed within two years," said Al Atwi. "We should stick to our roots and highlight it. If tourists go to Orlando for Disney World and Thailand for Phuket, then they should come to Bahrain for its history," he added.

Tourists can visit A'ali for a tour in pottery making or even Bani Jumra village for a tour in basket weaving.

With the theme of 'family tourism', the government will be pushing projects in that direction.

Currently there are three major projects in Bahrain, which includes the Al Dana Resort in Manama, which features a hotel, chalets, a pool and water games; Oasis, a mini island between Muharraq and Manama with chalets and other facilities; and Durrat Al Bahrain, which is a whole new city at the south tip of Bahrain to include two hotels, a six and a five star, a water park and a residential and business area.

"There are other projects that are being negotiated at the moment," he said. The projects include hotels as well.

Bahrain's four parks, Andalus, Salmaniya, Water Garden and Adhari, will be renovated.

Bahrain, though being an island, does not boast any public beaches, and the tourism affairs department is working on a plan to allocate four beaches one each in Budiaya, Muharraq, Manama and Sitra.

"We are also considering the possibilities of allocating separate beaches for women. Women need their privacy and time of fun as well," he said.

The beaches however will be taken care of and maintained by a company.

The government will also reclaim an island next to Hawar for a tourist project as well. "We are encouraging the hotels to hold programmes such as concerts and events," he said.

The tourism officials have also sent a memo to hotels in Bahrain regarding their entertainment policies. "The live entertainment halls need to be eradicated.

There should be a professional level of band playing there with two to four musicians," he said. The bands should have a proper license that could be tracked down in their original country.

There are 35 licensed nightclubs in Bahrain but the majority of the live entertainment halls are licensed under restaurant names. Many of the two to three star hotels have more than two live entertainment halls.

"Hotels in Bahrain need to be upgraded. An international American company, Sri International, will evaluate the hotels and set the standards," he said.

"Bahrain is quite expensive; going out here is very costly. We are going to push hotels to have a reasonable priced buffets for the middle and low class families," he said.

The tourism affairs will also be negotiating package deals between Gulf Air and hotels in Bahrain.
"Bahrain has a bright future ahead of it. In five years, we are aiming to increase the GDP of tourism to 20 per cent," he said.