MANAMA: Bahrain’s tourism authorities expect a rise in visitors from Saudi Arabia amid the social reforms underway in KSA, an official told Arab News.
Khaled bin Humood Al-Khalifa, CEO of Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), said the social changes happening in Saudi Arabia are set to positively impact tourism to Bahrain. The raft of reforms underway in KSA includes allowing women to drive from June.
“Openness will facilitate traveling and commuting for women and families and will bring both cultures closer. It will be like moving from one city to another for women,” Al-Khalifa said.
“Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are one country … Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are our target (tourism base). We are trying to facilitate entry via the King Fahd Causeway.”
Al-Khalifa said the country is working toward boosting tourism’s contribution to the national gross domestic product (GDP).
“Our main goal is to enhance the contribution of the tourism sector (to) national GDP. In 2015, tourism contributed to 3.5 percent of GDP. (As of the end of 2017), it’s 7.1 percent,” Al-Khalifa said.
“We doubled it and outgrew our initial goal, which was to reach 7 percent by the end of 2018, thanks to the solid infrastructure (in Bahrain) and the investors’ trust in the country.”
Al-Khalifa was speaking on the sidelines of the “Shop Bahrain” festival, which runs until Feb. 10 and includes promotions, entertainment events and raffle draws.
The month-long festival aims to attract more families, particularly those from Saudi Arabia.
The Kingdom accounted for 7.5 million of Bahrain’s 8.7 million tourists during the first nine months of 2017. The average day spending of a Saudi visitor to Bahrain stands at 83 dinars ($220), mainly on shopping and entertainment. Bahrain is looking to increase the amount of spending and the number of people who stay the night rather than taking a day trip.
According to Al-Khalifa, 83 percent of visitors to Bahrain enter via the causeway from Saudi Arabia, with the airport handling just 17-18 percent of arrivals.
A second causeway linking Bahrain with Saudi Arabia is planned, while Bahrain has invested $1 billion in expanding its international airport to three times the capacity of the current one. “We are expecting to inaugurate the new airport in the year 2020,” Al-Khalifa said.
The BTEA has also set up six offices in countries where there are direct flights to Bahrain on national carrier Gulf Air, in addition to China where Bahrain is planning to start direct flights.
Al-Khalifa said Bahrain has also reduced the price of tourist visas to 5 dinars from 25 dinars, and says it is the first GCC country to give Russians and Chinese visitors visas upon arrival.
Bahrain expects tourism boost from Saudi social reforms
Bahrain expects tourism boost from Saudi social reforms
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Closing Bell: Saudi main index rises to 10,894
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index extended its upward trend for a third consecutive day this week, gaining 148.18 points, or 1.38 percent, to close at 10,893.63 on Tuesday.
The total trading turnover of the benchmark index stood at SR6.05 billion ($1.61 billion), with 144 listed stocks advancing and 107 declining.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu also rose by 81.35 points to close at 23,668.29.
The MSCI Tadawul Index edged up 1.71 percent to 1,460.89.
The best-performing stock on the main market was Zahrat Al Waha for Trading Co., with its share price advancing 10 percent to SR2.75.
Shares of CHUBB Arabia Cooperative Insurance Co. increased 8.27 percent to SR23.04, while Abdullah Saad Mohammed Abo Moati for Bookstores Co. saw its stock climb 6.17 percent to SR50.60.
Conversely, the share price of Naseej International Trading Co. declined 9.90 percent to SR31.48.
On the announcements front, Arabian Drilling Co. said it secured three contract extensions for land rigs with energy giant Saudi Aramco, totaling SR1.4 billion and adding 25 active rig years to its backlog.
In a Tadawul statement, the company said one rig is currently operational, the second will begin operations by the end of January, and the third — currently suspended — is expected to resume operations in 2026.
Since November 2025, Arabian Drilling has secured seven contract extensions amounting to SR3.4 billion, representing 55 committed rig years.
The three contracts have durations of 10 years, 10 years, and five years, respectively.
“Securing a total of SR1.4 billion in new contracts and expanding our backlog by 25 rig-years demonstrates both the trust our clients place in us and our ability to consistently deliver quality and reliability,” said Ghassan Mirdad, CEO of Arabian Drilling, in a statement.
Shares of Arabian Drilling Co. rose 3.15 percent to SR104.70.
Separately, Alkhorayef Water and Power Technologies Co. said it signed a 36-month contract valued at SR43.35 million with National Water Co. to operate and maintain water networks, pumping stations, wells, reservoirs, and related facilities in Tabuk.
In October, Alkhorayef Water and Power Technologies Co. announced it had been awarded the contract by NWC.
In a Tadawul statement, the company said the financial impact of the deal began in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The share price of Alkhorayef Water and Power Technologies Co. declined 0.49 percent to SR120.70.
