BTEA and iGA Oversee the on-site Tourism Survey 2024 at Bahrain International Airport
24 Jul 2024
The Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA), in cooperation with the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), organized a field visit to Bahrain International Airport (BIA) to oversee the progress of the field team implementing the 2024 Tourism Survey launched in January and will continue to December 2024. In attendance were Duaa Sultan Mohamed, iGA Deputy Chief Executive of Statistics and Population Registry, Dana Al Saad, BTEA Deputy Chief Executive of Resources and Projects, and several directors and officials from both authorities.
Duaa Sultan underscored the significance of this survey as a national project aligning with the government's aspirations and supporting the initiatives outlined in the Government Plan (2023 – 2026). The survey aims to create a chronological database of visitor characteristics and experiences in the Kingdom following a statistical methodology aligned with international standards set by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
Duaa highlighted that the survey covered Bahrain International Airport (BIA) and the King Fahd Causeway, providing tourism data and indicators to support strategic initiatives aimed at fostering growth in the tourism sector, subsequently benefiting related economic sectors.
On the other side, Al Saad emphasized that tourism statistics surveys are essential for monitoring and directing the performance of the tourism sector. Implementing these surveys provides timely and up to date indicators. She underlined the importance of conducting surveys of incoming visitors at BIA, considering them crucial for measuring the key metrics of the 2022-2026 tourism strategy.
Al Saad highlighted the strong connection between the tourism and aviation sectors. Surveys conducted at the airport support internationally-recognized methodologies, ensuring accurate monitoring and evaluation of visitors' journeys. The airport serves as the first stop for international visitors, making field surveys essential for assessing tourist experiences. Suggestions and observations from surveys help provide seamless services and create the ideal tourist experience.
Duaa Sultan and Dana Al Saad expressed their appreciation for the mutual cooperation exhibited by the authorities throughout the survey’s progress. They extended her appreciation to the survey team for their efforts in gathering data and encouraged the Kingdom's visitors, especially those from other GCC countries, to contribute to the survey's success by cooperating with the research team and providing accurate information.
The Tourism Survey project was launched by the iGA in partnership with BTEA in 2015. A joint implementation plan to enhance tourism data sources was formulated, guided by international recommendations from the UNWTO.
The efforts of both authorities played a crucial role in driving remarkable achievements for the Kingdom reflected in the remarkable improvement of Bahrain’s rank by 52 places in the 2024 inclusiveness index of Tourism and Travel data by World Economic Forum. In addition to earning praise from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for its efforts in developing tourism statistics in recent years. It successfully established a comprehensive statistical database covering various tourism aspects such as supply, demand, and accounting. This includes visitor flows, characteristics, and expenditures, profitable ventures, and the tourism satellite account, an internationally recognized accounting tool for measuring tourism's direct contributions to the national economy.
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