Bahrain- Gulf Air, the national airline of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Oman and the UAE, sponsored a live videoconference with French businessmen and investors to promote investment and tourism in Bahrain.

Under the patronage of HE Shaikha Haya bint Rashid Al Khalifa, the Bahraini Ambassador to France, the event, which was organised by the Economic Development Board (EDB), provided a forum for key players in the tourism industry to highlight Bahrain’s strengths as a centre for business opportunity.

Speaking at the forum, Gulf Air Marketing Manager, Shane O’Hare, said: “As a key player in the communications infrastructure of Bahrain, Gulf Air is a facilitator of economic prosperity, and has a vital role to play in boosting the local economy.”

In developing Gulf Air, the strategy is to consolidate and build on the cultural strengths and local market knowledge gained over the last 52 years as a renowned global product and service leader, in a contemporary global environment governed by 21sts century economics.

He explained that Gulf Air has taken a more active role in the promotion of tourism to Bahrain with the recently launched Gulf Air Holidays Arabian Experience, which promotes the unique, cultural richness of the Kingdom.

“This major new tourism initiative offers packages to Bahrain, the UAE and Oman, where we have joined forces with local tourism ministries to spearhead a multi-million dollar international campaign that will offer holidaymakers a true ‘Arabian Experience’ incorporating the unique features of these select destinations,” he said.

In line with world tourism trends, and the move to more adventurous travel away from mainstream destinations, Arabian Experience is based on multi-centred holidays and weekend breaks. Its aim is to encourage travellers to experience the best of our region first hand in a wide range of competitively priced options that can be mixed and matched and in general include flights, hotel transfers, optional city tours and excursions.

Results show a tangible increase in package holiday traffic since launching the program and the numbers of travellers are expected to more than double, and intra-Gulf and European holiday traffic revenue to increase by 115 per cent.

This initiative is part of the three year strategy unanimously endorsed by the Board and owner states to re-establish Gulf Air as a world class, commercially successful airline.

Gulf Air was founded in 1950. Today, it is owned by the Kingdom of Bahrain, Oman and the UAE, and is the only truly pan Gulf airline in the region. The airline’s network stretches from Europe to Asia and covers 43 cities in 32 countries. The fleet is one of the most modern in the Middle East and comprises 30 aircraft.

The airline is in its first year of a three-year strategic recovery programme, headed by President & Chief Executive, James Hogan. The airline’s aim is to further evolve by taking its renowned cultural strengths, which have been gained over more than half a century, into a global environment.

Gulf Air is also intent on ‘going the extra mile’ for its customers. It has subsequently made a concerted effort to focus on efficiency, to eliminate bureaucracy and implement processes that are required, above all, to improve customer satisfaction.   

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