Tallahassee, Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) participated in the Seatrade Cruise Global 2024 Exhibition and Conference.
The four-day exhibition served as the largest event within the cruise ship industry worldwide, drawing in senior industry professionals and decision-makers from various corners of the globe. More than 10,000 visitors from 120 countries attended the event along with over 600 leading exhibitors.
BTEA, along with several prominent Bahraini companies, entities, tourism offices, and marine vessel sector facilities, participated in the official “Cruise Arabia” pavilion at the exhibition.
This pavilion featured exhibitors and companies engaged in port operations, airlines, and tourist destination management in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Oman to bolster partnerships and collaboration with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in marine tourism, and to forge memorandums of understanding fostering joint Gulf projects supporting the burgeoning cruise ship industry development.
The exhibiti
on provided the authority with an exceptional platform to spotlight Bahrain’s significant prowess in marine tourism. It showcased the robustness of the tourism and maritime sector while highlighting the considerable demand for the Gulf region for colossal cruise ships worldwide.
The event provided a prime opportunity to underscore the available docking opportunities for cruise ships and yachts in Bahrain, along with discussing unique itineraries that position the kingdom as a standout destination and gateway to the entire region.
Sarah Buhijji, CEO of BTEA, expressed her pride at participating in this prestigious exhibition, emphasising that the event was considered a crucial opportunity to accomplish several objectives outlined in BTEA’s tourism and promotional strategies, which include preperations for the upcoming cruise ship season of 2024-2025.
“The exhibition offered us a significant opportunity to showcase the remarkable achievements of the 2023-2024 season and to underscore Bahrain’s prominent stat
us as a key player in the global marine tourism scene. It emphasised Bahrain’s exceptional appeal as a marine destination, presenting options for tourists, thanks to its ability to attract various types of ships, including tourist vessels, luxury liners, and giant cruise ships,” Buhijji said.
BTEA’s participation aimed to facilitate meetings with representatives of international cruise ship companies to explore collaboration opportunities and showcase the incentives and facilities provided by the kingdom to attract more cruise ships, and sought to improve communication between the Authority, other relevant authorities, and international maritime transport companies.
The delegation members gained valuable insights into the latest trends shaping the global marine tourism market, as this participation marks a significant stride towards realising the authority’s goals of advancing the marine tourism sector and increasing tourist arrivals from diverse nations, aligning with Bahrain’s tourism strategy for 2022-20
26.
Source: Bahrain News Agency