BTEA (Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority) announced last week the arrival of the first couple of cruise ships into the Kingdom at port Mina Salman (Manama), where more than 5,600 visitors were onboard the AIDA and MSC cruise liners.
A tour around the Kingdom was organised where over 4,000 visitors had the chance to visit some of the tourist attractions in Bahrain and learn about its civilization, old markets and historical sites.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of BTEA, Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, during the current cruise season running from November through May, Bahrain is due to receive 33 cruise ship calls and nearly 80,000 visitors from leading cruise lines including the renowned Crystal Cruises.
Furthermore, Azamara, TUI and AIDAstella, arrived in Bahrain carrying more than 15,000 passengers. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is expected to dock towards the end of the season.
Hosting the cruise liners comes as part of BTEA’s long term strategy to develop the tourism sector under the slogan ‘Ours.Yours.’, which contributes to the Kingdom’s economy and 2030 Economic Vision.