Omanis, Kuwaitis, Saudis, Emiratis and Qataris are among 18 nationalities that have been granted visa-free entry into the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The visa-free policy was extended earlier this month, Travel and Tour World reported, bringing the total number of nationalities with free and easy entry to the country up to 47.

Among the GCC beneficiaries of the extended policy include GCC travellers from Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Europeans and Asians are also benefitting with visa-free entry now available for passport holders from Georgia, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Macao, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and the UK.

In South America, travellers from Ecuador and Suriname are also now able to travel to Bahrain visa-free, as well as New Zealanders in Oceania.

The extension of Bahrain’s visa-free policy will no doubt contribute to the Kingdom’s record-breaking tourism growth. The country welcomed 4.6 million travellers during the first six months of this year, up 13.2% increase on the same period last year.

Bahrain’s thriving tourism sector can be attributed to its position as the Middle East’s Leading Wedding Destination and its efforts to increase air traffic to key destinations.

Bahrain’s tourism industry is also benefitting from the influx of travellers from Saudi Arabia which is currently the Kingdom’s biggest market. Bahrain’s Tourism and Exhibitions Authority recently launched a tourism campaign called ‘Delighted to See You’ which invites Saudis to celebrate Saudi National Day (23 September) in Bahrain.