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IN a bid to jumpstart Bahrain's tourism industry and draw legions of visitors to the kingdom, the government is launching a new general tourism authority.
The legislative process to establish the new body is currently underway.
Headed by chief executive Mohammed Nass, above, the new entity will help generate a 25 per cent growth in the tourism sector over the next five years. By 2018, tourism is expected to account for at least 10.5 per cent of the country's GDP. To achieve these goals Mr Nass aims to "gift wrap" the country.
Combined with an aggressive marketing campaign, and a strategy to encourage the private sector to invest, Bahrain's tourism industry is set to flourish as millions of dinars are poured into the country.
Plans are afoot that will see hundreds of jobs created, new hotels built, historical sites developed and tourists from around the world encouraged to visit the kingdom.
"We need to hit the market fast, be agile and jumpstart the sector," Mr Nass told GulfWeekly. "We need to go back to our roots and believe in ourselves."
