Bahrain is hoping that an injection of $1bn into its travel and tourism plans by 2020 will bring large returns in the emerging market. The kingdom already invested $420m in 2010, a figure it is set to over double by the end of the decade in the aim of increasing the country’s GDP from tourism from $1.9bn in 2010 to $4.2bn by 2020, an increase of 11% since the investment program began.

Much of the motivation to capitalize on the tourism sector comes from the desire to move away from dependence of hydrocarbons. It has so far had a taste of the tourism action after hosting a round of the F1 Grand Prix, an event which saw thousands of racing fans travel to the country from greater Asia and beyond. It currently also enjoys an influx of travelers as one of the main centers for Islamic banking. To further strengthen its standing as a strong business and finance hotbed, Bahrain has build a causeway to nearby Saudi Arabia and is hoping to strengthen links with Qatar with the building of a $4bn bridge to the country.

Travel experts, in particular the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, predict that the Middle Eastern region will enjoy massive growth on the travel front to the tune of just under 7% a year (currently 36 million people visit per year, a figure which is predicted to approach 69 million by the end of the decade). Analysts have noted that these predictions also came before Qatar won hosting rights to the 2022 World Cup, which is also expected to dramatically improve tourism to the region.

Reported by Sam Doving.

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