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Bahrain hotels full for Eid

12K views 20 replies 9 participants last post by  Bahraini Spirit 
#1 ·
Five-star Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa, Novotel and Movenpick were fully booked on the fourth day of Eid yesterday, a Tourism Affairs official said.

Four-star Baisan International, Phoenicia Tower, Baisan Towers, Elite, Manama Tower, Gulf Gate and Mercure hotels boasted a rate of occupancy of more than 90 per cent.

Three-star Orient Palace, Al Andalus, Bahrain International, Semiramis, Riviera, Metropolitan, Commodore, Carlton, Gulf Pearl, Gulf Suites, California and Relax Inn hotels also reported a similar rate.

Two and one-star Al Bustan, Al Salam Palace, Regent, Bab Al Bahrain, Claridges, City Centre, Crwan Plaza, Miami, Mirage, Tropicana, Al Jabriya, Al Faris, Al Frsan, Bahrain, Ambassador, Sea Shell, Al Hambra and Imperial Suites were fully booked. :runaway:

'Thousands of Saudi, Qatari, Kuwaiti, Emirati and Omani visitors flocked to Bahrain during Eid,' the official said.

The Civil Aviation Affairs and King Fahad Causeway also reported a major influx of GCC visitors over the last two days
 
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#2 ·
However, on the other hand :weirdo: :bash:

Slow tourism prompts sale of 7 hotels in Bahrain
(DPA)

Poor business has resulted in owners of seven Bahraini hotels saying they intend selling up, the semi-official newspaper Al Ayam reported yesterday.


It said two hotel projects involving some 39 million dollars had been halted by an investor, citing complaints by Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and businessmen of an “unclear tourism policy”.

The BCCI last Wednesday criticised the Tourism Affairs section of the Information Ministry for imposing restrictions on the operation of some of their facilities during Ramadan.

The restrictions included requirements to close restaurants and night clubs during that period. The restaurants were allowed to reopen after sunset, in line with the Muslim fasting.

BCCI president Khalid Kanoo said restrictions had been imposed without consultation with the owners, and caused heavy financial damage, leaving the hotels with stock and employees to pay for. Local reports said that throughout the Eid period there had been a lack of attractions, and locals had been travelling to nearby countries while tourists from the Gulf were fewer this year.
 
#8 ·
This is bs, they weren't full. It's in the papers today. It's because of this damn ministry of information, waste of time and it acts against the interests of the ppl to support a minority in the parliment to fulfill their policies.

I honestly believe this ministry should be dissolved, it's pure bs and it's the ministry of disinformation, what a bunch of liars. No wonder why ppl are in the dark and pissed off because they've been goin downhill. And the minister, he sucks, he knows what's happenin but not doin anythin and then they tell you, oohhh we don't know what's happenin.
 
#11 ·
Bahraini Spirit said:
This is bs, they weren't full. It's in the papers today. It's because of this damn ministry of information, waste of time and it acts against the interests of the ppl to support a minority in the parliment to fulfill their policies.

I honestly believe this ministry should be dissolved, it's pure bs and it's the ministry of disinformation, what a bunch of liars. No wonder why ppl are in the dark and pissed off because they've been goin downhill. And the minister, he sucks, he knows what's happenin but not doin anythin and then they tell you, oohhh we don't know what's happenin.

If it's about banning sale of alchohol and stopping shows in hotels during Ramadan, then i can assume its the ppl's choice as well to do so.

After all, its a democracy!

My opinion? these ppl are just afraid of new entrants, new hotels with better facilities, which would take business away from them, those complaining are 5 star hotels as per the news.. so they have a concern once AlAreen, Four Seasons, Dura al Bahrain and BFH hotels scrap them, and they dont want more of these to come here.

About banning Drinks and shows, Man it's Ramadan, this is the least that can be done.
:sleepy:
 
#12 ·
Moody said:
If it's about banning sale of alchohol and stopping shows in hotels during Ramadan, then i can assume its the ppl's choice as well to do so.

After all, its a democracy!

My opinion? these ppl are just afraid of new entrants, new hotels with better facilities, which would take business away from them, those complaining are 5 star hotels as per the news.. so they have a concern once AlAreen, Four Seasons, Dura al Bahrain and BFH hotels scrap them, and they dont want more of these to come here.

About banning Drinks and shows, Man it's Ramadan, this is the least that can be done.
:sleepy:
Moody even 5 star hotels are complaining about the ministry of information's policies... Lots of foreigners left Bahrain hiding to Dubai because of all these new rules... can you imagine this eid there wasn't any entertainment activities, man Bahrain used to be the first in the gulf for partying and entertainment activities, what now... we're the last even Saudi had lots of 7aflat however we had non.. what a borring country because of all these mutwa PMs
 
#13 ·
It's those stupid MPs we have, they screwed the country. I agree with Elmahri, we were number 1, every eid, hundreds of thousands came and now no one. I hope that once this parliament dissolves (which am sure just about every other person wants), things will get back on track and we'll be rockin again.

The ministry of information, no comments, pure waste of money and time again. They want to promote tourism, well all I can say is this:

:hahaha: or even better :rofl:.
 
#17 ·
I believe once this stupid nuwab council goes and things change, the place will rock again, but what parties, before we had tons everyday, now nothin, just like Elmahri mentioned. It is when they listen to those hardliners that we're screwed as a country.

9ara7atan, qemat il thuwara walla.
 
#19 ·
Dude, no one blamed the nuwabs for prostitution (I never mentioned that so I don't know what made you think I brought that up), it's not like the problem has never been addressed before they arrived. What am talkin about is that their attitude and policies harm the country's economy. This parliament has been useless, too many promises but very little has been achieved and the country has been goin downhill since they arrived, unless you can refute otherwise?

Just to highlight the stupidity of the Information Ministry:

Hoteliers yesterday dismissed as untrue claims by tourism authorities that the country's hotels were full over Eid.

None of the country's top hotels achieved 100 per cent occupancy, as claimed by Tourism Affairs, said the Five Star Hotels Executive Committee.

In fact, bookings and revenue were down on last year, because of sudden restrictions imposed on hotels for seven days after Ramadan, said hoteliers.

The restrictions were imposed on any hotel outlets which defied new rules imposed at the start of Ramadan.

Low occupancy over Eid was mainly because the Information Ministry had made an impulsive decision without prior warning to the hotels, the committee said in a statement released last night.

It said such decisions jeopardised the tourism industry's future and urged the country's leadership to ensure it never happened again.

An urgent meeting will be held tomorrow at 11am at the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry to discuss the plight of the tourism industry, said chairman Khalid Kanoo.

Information Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar and Economic Development Board chief executive Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa have been invited to attend.
 
#21 ·
Well here is the response:

ANGRY businessmen yesterday accused the government of crippling the country's tourism industry through bad decision-making.

The country lost "millions" over Ramadan and Eid, because of last-minute restrictions imposed by the Information Ministry's Tourism Affairs, claimed businessmen.

They accused the ministry of buckling to pressure from Islamist MPs to ban hotels from selling alcohol during Ramadan nights.

Some hotels are still under a seven-day ban imposed from the first day of Eid on individual outlets within them which breached the original order.

The accusations came at a meeting attended by Information Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar and Assistant Under-Secretary for Tourism Abdulaziz Al Rafae.

Some hoteliers said that they had no objection to closing for Ramadan, if they had been told in advance what the ministry's policy was going to be.

They said they could have sent their staff away on holiday and used the time for refurbishment.

Dr Abdul Ghaffar accused the local media of waging a campaign against the tourism authorities by printing articles suggesting that tourism had suffered greatly over Eid because of their policies.

Claims by authorities that the country's top hotels were full over Eid were later dismissed as untrue by the Five Star Hotels Executive Committee.

Dr Abdul Ghaffar said figures showed that traffic through the King Fahad Causeway and the Bahrain International Airport was healthy over Eid, indicating that tourists flooded into the country for the holidays.

Businessmen and journalists questioned the statement adding that they didn't show how many of them were Bahrainis returning from trips abroad.

They also accused the ministry of buckling to pressure from Islamist MPs to impose the ban.

One journalist told Dr Abdul Ghaffar that the ministry should not have issued the ban because parliament never passed any law regarding it.

"The parliament cannot pass directives, only laws," he said.

"If no law has been passed by parliament, the government does not have to listen to them."

Dr Abdul Ghaffar said that businessmen should try to become closer to the people of Bahrain.

"You create thousands of jobs, but the people don't know who you are. You need to become closer to them. They voted the MPs in because these are people they have contact with who help them," he said.

Bahrain Hotels Company chief executive Aqeel Raees said that Bahrain had to decide whether it wanted to be a tourist destination or not.

"It has to have a clear vision for the sector and whether it wants it to be a main contributor to the national economy," he said.

One hotel owner, Ahmed Sanad, said that the hotel industry was confused about what the government wanted it to do.

"I read in the newspaper today that the Prime Minister is for what we are saying and now I come here and the Information Minister tells us something completely different. It's as if we have two different governments," he said.

Mr Sanad also accused the chamber and the Information Ministry of not caring enough about small hotels.

"When something happens that affects the five-star hotels, the whole world moves, but no one cares about the owners of smaller hotels," he said.

Businessman Hamid Al Zayani asked Dr Abdul Ghaffar about what was being done with the taxes that the government charges the hotel companies.

"Where does it go? Why don't we see the benefits of it?" he asked.

Dr Abdul Ghaffar admitted that ministry's Tourism Affairs directorate was weak and had insufficient authority and resources to adequately monitor the sector. "It is a very small directorate and cannot meet he requirements of the industry," he said. "When I first came to the ministry, I realised this and made it my first priority to draft a law to establish a tourism council.

"We completed it in the end of May and it has been submitted to parliament and I hope that it is passed as quickly as possible."

BCCI president Khalid Kanoo said that businessmen investing in the tourism industry suffered many problems because there was no tourism body with the authority of a ministry.

"Many investors come to Bahrain to invest in the industry, but they don't know what they are supposed to do," he said

The BCCI issued a statement expressing its extreme regret that the Economic Development Board did not attend the meeting, despite being invited. A representative of the organisation should have been there because it has an important role to play in the development of the tourism industry, said the statement.
 
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