Manama: More than 230,000 people entered Bahrain in one week, statistics released by the interior ministry on Thursday indicate.
According to the ministry official, 230,402 people came into the kingdom between August 16 and 22.
Entries through the King Fahd Causeway, the terrestrial link between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, were 190,601 while 39,617 people flew into the country and 184 came through the seaport.
The 25-kilometre causeway, opened in November 1986, has been a crucial factor in the increase of the number of tourists arriving in Bahrain, mainly from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.
The Eid holidays and the long breaks associated with the feast marking the end of Ramadan have contributed to the surge in the number of arrivals in the island kingdom.
Strong family links between Gulf citizens are also a significant factor in the exchange of visits over the causeway.
Movie theatres screening the latest movies and shopping complexes are seen as among the top reasons for trips by Saudi families or Saudi Arabia-based foreign families to Manama.
