Bahraini.TV

Bahrain: Cruise Control

by mahmood on 20/06/08 at 2:19 pm · email  · print  

Bahrain is looking to capitalise on the growing number of cruises in the Gulf, with the aim of promoting the island state as a tourism destination, boosting employment and diversifying the economy.

On June 11, an agreement was reached between Bahraini officials and representatives of the Dubai Tourism Authority to include Bahrain on the itinerary for cruise tours.

Under the plan, liners leaving Dubai will call at four or five ports in the Gulf, including Bahrain, as part of their regular seven day cruise. As a result, up to 100,000 extra foreign tourists could be shipped into the kingdom.

Mohammed Nass, the chief executive of tourism marketing and promotion unit at Bahrain’s information ministry said, “These tourists are looking for something different in each destination. If they consider Dubai as a shopping destination, they may visit Bahrain for its culture and heritage. The cruise tourists will also contribute to our economy. Our shops, tourism centres and transport fleet will all benefit.”

Estimates put the potential economic benefit for Bahrain’s tourism industry – spanning resorts and hotels to theme parks, infrastructure and other facilities – at $10bn, according to local reports. While cruise tourists will not be making use of the accommodation facilities, it is expected they will be drawn to the entertainment and retailing options on offer.

Unlike many of the states along the Gulf, Bahrain is a relative newcomer to cruise tourism. Nass acknowledged that cruise tourism had not previously featured prominently in the overall strategy to develop the tourist industry in the kingdom.

“We had never looked at this aspect of tourism seriously,” he said. “We shall now do everything to promote this segment which will attract high quality tourists to Bahrain.”

And tourism is increasingly becoming the focus of investment in the kingdom’s drive to diversify its economy, according to Kamal Ahmad, the chief operations officer of the Economic Development Board (EDB).

“Tourism is very important, and we have a big opportunity to promote this sector,” Ahmad told local press. “There were 6m visitors to Bahrain in 2007. They came mainly from Saudi Arabia.”

While the overall arrivals figures are good, with the 2007 total representing an increase of around 15% on the previous year according to official statistics, the fact that the majority of visitors to Bahrain came across the King Fahd Causeway from neighbouring Saudi Arabia does indicate a lack of diversity in sourcing tourists.

This could be changing though. As a possible sign of things to come, Germany-based tour company Seal Cloud Cruises announced it was adding Bahrain to its 2009 itinerary, with its sail-powered cruise ship, the Sea Cloud Hussar, scheduled to include the kingdom on its list of ports of call during the winter season starting in January next year.

However, Bahrain will need to ensure it has the required infrastructure in place to host cruise liners. Part of Bahrain’s strategy to attract cruise tourism is the expansion of passenger liner handling facilities at the Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Port outside the capital of Manama.

The port, being developed by APM Terminals, is scheduled to be operational in the last quarter of this year. Though the main focus of Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman is the container trade, it will also have a dedicated cruise liner terminal.

Thanks to dredging work carried out at the entrance and basin of the port site, Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Port will be able to handle most large cruise ships, according to Steen Davidsen, the managing director for APM Terminals Bahrain.

“Improving our position in luxury tourism will be a major boost for the economy,” Davidsen told the local trade press.

There is also a proposal to transfer most of the cargo traffic from Bahrain’s existing port of Mina Salman to Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Port and develop the former for tourism trade, though this has yet to be confirmed.

With the Gulf cruise tourism season beginning in October and running through to May, Bahrain will need to have its deep water liner berths ready to receive visitors in a matter of months. Any delays could see it miss the boat.