Media Center

The Ministry of  Culture, after more than a year of meetings and consultations with hotel directors and owners concerning the  enhancement and quality of tourism accommodation, has banned the selling and serving of alcohol or hosting any shows with Arab and foreign artists at three-star hotels. The Ministry of Culture issued its Decision Number 5 for the year 2014 on Thursday 12 July, banning serving and selling alcohol in three-star hotels. It also prohibited presenting Arab and foreign art shows and recruiting artists belonging to either gender. A similar decision was implemented in 2009 for one and two-star hotels. The ministry said legal procedures, including the withdrawal or suspension of hotels’ tourism license would be taken against the violators.

The Ministry of Culture said the decision was not sudden and it was aimed at improving hotel tourism in the Kingdom. The decision has been taken following reports of immoral activities taking place in some hotels. The Ministry has warned of legal action against violators. In response to the demands from various quarters pertaining to the reconsideration of the ban on alcohol in three-star hotels, in a statement issued on Friday, the Ministry stated that the decision was taken in the light of several factors including poor quality of rooms and clients services in three-star hotels that adversely affect the country’s reputation. The statement said that three-star hotels ignored the Ministry’s repeated requests to rectify its problems with regard to quality and administration. The Ministry said the hotels were violating the service ethics by depending more on other facilities than on rooms. “The income of these hotels mainly depends on facilities and not the rooms, which constitute only 23 per cent of their profits,” the statement said.

The Ministry of Culture has given investors a chance to rectify and upgrade their hotel services to 4-star hotel standards, with an effective ban on illegal activities until then, as agreed during meetings with tourism officials previously.

The Ministry of Culture said that, “Such legal procedures benefit and enhance tourism in Bahrain, particularly improving entertainment and cultural tourism by orgainising a variety of programs and activities throughout the year.” Bahrain has a tourism product that attracts greater numbers of international tourists from Europe and the Americas, especially as there are [on-going] endeavours to highlight the heritage and cultural aspect of the Kingdom through festivals, by restoring ancient archaeological sites and featuring its antiquities and historic landmarks.