Bahrain hospitality growing

30 April 2015

Hotel market improving following downturn in 2011 due to domestic instability

  • Average room rates about BD81
  • Hotel occupancy rates just above 55 per cent
  • Saudi Arabia contributes biggest number of visitors to Bahrain

Gross operational profits are sitting at BD66.5 ($176.2) a room as occupancy rates improve to just above 55 per cent, said Phillip Wooller, Middle East and Africa area director of STR Global, speaking at MEED’s Bahrain Infrastructure and Finance conference in Manama on 30 April.

Average room rates are currently about BD81 a night, with the increasing supply coming in the form of high-end and luxury hotel projects.

Saudi Arabia visitors remain the biggest number of tourists entering Bahrain through the causeway connecting Manama with the eastern province of the kingdom.

“It is not just Saudi Arabian nationals, but expats of other nationalities that come to Bahrain on a weekly basis,” says Amine Moukarzel, president of Louvre Hotels and Golden Tulip Mena.

Bahrain is looking to improve its tourism appeal with the imminent construction of a second causeway connecting the kingdom with Saudi Arabia. Manama has also made progress with the airport expansion, which is expected to increase capacity to 13.5 million passengers a year.

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