Twenty-two new hotels will be opening in Bahrain in the next four years. The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) announced the figures. “BTEA is committed to developing the sector to truly distinguish Bahrain from other countries in the region,” said Chief Executive Officer of BTEA, Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa.

According to BTEA data, the performance of the tourism sector continues to improve. Inbound tourists increased to 3.2 million, a three percent rise year-on-year. International arrivals reached 3.5 million, a three percent increase from last year. Also, five-star hotel occupancy rate grew 53 percent compared to 50 percent last year. On the same level, four-star hotels occupancy reached 46 percent compared to 42 percent.

The total number of nights spent by tourists in the Kingdom reached approximately 4.1 million nights, an average of 3.3 nights per tourist.

Tourism statistics for the quarter also showed a remarkable increase in the use of the Kingdom’s ports of entry. It recorded a two percent increase in visitors arriving via King Fahad Causeway, reaching a total of 2.8 million visitors.