Bahrain’s tourism sector has been making headlines recently with significant developments both in terms of recognition and policy.
At the 31st World Travel Awards (WTA) held on 6 May at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, Bahrain secured two prestigious honours. The first was the Middle East’s Leading Wedding Destination 2024 award, which celebrated the destination’s growing prominence as a premier regional hub for weddings. The second, the award for the Middle East’s Leading Large-Scale Wedding Venue 2024, went to Exhibition World Bahrain (EWB) for showing their commitment to excellence.
The awards are timely as tourism projections for 2024 are expecting an annual growth rate of 5.42% according to Statistic Market Insights.
Leveraging on this increased popularity, the Bahrain Ministry of Tourism is introducing a new tourist tax for hotels across the kingdom. From 1 May 2024, visitors can expect to pay three Bahraini Dinars (Approx Dh30) per day, per room in an effort to foster transparency and streamline associated hotel expenses for tourists.
International and domestic travel operators and airlines were informed in order to integrate the tax into advertised room rates. Providing hotels reach at least a 40 percent annual occupancy rate, the Ministry expects the new rates to boost state revenue by up to 3 million BHD (Bahraini Dinars).
