Media Center

H.E Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, has participated, on 9 November 2020, in the tourism miniters’online forum, held as part of “Tourism Investment Summit”. The event is organized by “The International Tourism & Investment Conference”, hin partnership with  WTM London and will be run, until 11 November, on a virtual platform designed to bring the WTM London live experience on online, given the travel restrictions because of Corona virus pandemic ( Covid -19).

The summit, which will feature a Tourism Investment Ministerial Panel, was also attended by Dr. Taleb Rifai, Charmian ITIC and former Secretary-General UNWTO, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica, Hon. Mr. Najib Balala, Kenyan Minister of Tourism in Kenya, Hon. Nayef Al-Fayez, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Jordan, and Hon. Elena Kountoura, Member of European Parliament. Participants discussed a comprehensive recovery plan, encouraging innovation and investment to rebuild destinations and restore travelers’ confidence after the COVID-19 pandemic.

In her speech addressed to the panel, H.E delivered said that  the Kingdom of Bahrain has succeeded to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), thanks the creative precautionary health measures outlined  by National Medical Task Force to Combat the Coronavirus, and Government Executive Committee, headed by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister. H.E added that the professional quick response by the Government Executive Committee managed to curb the widespread of the pandemic at an early stage, arguing that the vital tourism sector is expected to grow and remerge strong agian by the end of current year. 

H.E Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities went on to say that investing in cultural tourism projects is the future of the tourism sector. H.E pointed out that her clear vision was transformed into reality when H.E launched the "Investing in Culture" initiative in 2006, which is an unprecedented endeavor in the Middle East region, aimed at building a partnership between the public and private sectors to invest in cultural projects. H.E’s pioneering visionary project implemented covered a series of sustainable cultural tourism projects valued at more than one hundred and fifty million dollars.

In addition, BACA’s President argued that cultural tourism key trends and opportunities in the world today tend to favor cultural assets to attract tourists and visitors, locally, regionally and worldwide. This year’s health pandemic crisis has revealed the vulnerability of traditional conventional tourism policies, and demonstrated the importance of sustainability in tourism sector, the need to opt for small-sized identity based projects, such as hospitability ventures, small-scale historical famous restaurants, hotels, creative skills’ industries and crafts,  H.E added. The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities’ President also said that these projects are in line with the principles of sustainable development, and contribute to local community growth, shedding lights on Bahrain’s iconic major cultural tourism adventures, such Pearling: Testimony of an Island Economy, a UNESCO World Heritage List site and other urban development projects implemented in the city of Muharraq.