Tourism

Hi stevem,

Bahrain already have toursim as Bahrain receives two million tourists a year.

The following Link can give you a general idea about the activities that can be done in Bahrain.

Regards,

I know people come to Bahrain but how many of those two million visitors are friends and family of people already living here.

Don't get me wrong this is our fourth year living here in Bahrain but would you recommend Bahrain for a two week holiday to a complete stranger.

It would be quite difficult to do so as Bahrain is a small country for two weeks holiday

Bahrain is famous as a weekend destination or short term holiday just for people who are working in Middle East and would like to break their daily routine and spend the weekend holiday somewhere near their residence country.

I think developing Tourism industry is not an easy task and require a lot of efforts, strategies and a very exhastive budget.

So enjoy Bahrain as it is for the time being and hope that things gets better soon so that further developments can take place

Hi Stevem,

In spite of the fact that Bahrain is definitely a small country, I still think that there is some interest in coming here for tourists.
Many friends and family visited me  for one or two weeks and they never felt bored.
If you look into it seriously, even for a serial tourist, there are many things to do !
You can look at it from different angles :

- Way of living = It's a nice country to discover Middle East, more genuine than Dubai, more open than Qatar. You can get the smell of Orient by going to the local coffee shops and have a Kawa with a shisha. You can also visit the Grand Mosque (Al Fateh) with a guide (many languages available). You will get a better understanding of Islam and see a nice place. So many nice Mosque are there... Even if you cannot visit them, you might definitely bring back some beautiful pictures.

- History = Bahrain is inhabited since the 3rd millennium BC. If you like archeology, or simply history, there are plenty of old forts, houses, places to visit. The national museum will give you a good overview and enlighten your visits.

- Museums = Bahrain entertains a few nice museum, the national is the bigger but there is the oil museum, pearl museum, some traditional houses to visit etc... Jasra handicraft center is also a nice place to get lost in one morning. Most of the local handicraft are kept alive in this center and you can see Dhow construction, waving, etc...

- On the sea = we forget sometimes that Bahrain is an archipelago made of 33 islands. You can definitely get a different perspective of them from the sea ! You can even go to sunbathe on a small island that disappears at high tide. You can also ride jet ski, kite surf, wake board etc... Or if you are more on the quiet side, you can just rent a dhow and sail a day or half a day around Bahrain to see the dolphins and some beautiful landscapes.

- Entertainment = Bahrain offers many different kind of entertainment. Bowling, ice skating, 2 aquatic parks, one amusement park for kids, one game reserve, one great kart track, the F1 track where you can go for a drive on certain conditions, desert camping etc...

Shopping = like everywhere in the Middle East, malls are all around. The visit extensively some of them, you'll need a full day
Or you can prefer to get lost in the souks. Bab Al Bahrain is the biggest, Muharraq's is a nice typical one. The flee market in Isa Town deserves a deep visit...

I think you can make yourself busy for a few days with all that can't you ? And I didn't mention the thousands of nice small and big restaurants available !!

I hope other members will add the place they love to complete the panorama !

Cheers

Olivier

Hi Oliver,

Hats off to your informative post, I think you have left no stone unturned in answering Steve's concerns and have elaborated perfectly on the subject

For me as a new comer to Bahrain, didn't have much time so far to discover all of these places and activities mentioned in the post.

I think its a good opportunity for me to widen my knowledge and experience about Bahrain and explore some of these places

Regards,