Bahrain burst into the consciousness of Israelis in a storm about a year and a half ago, from the moment of the solemn signing of the Abrahamic Agreements.
Since then, the situation of almost complete alienation has completely changed.
Today, we encounter in the Israeli press mentions of the moderate Arab state, located in the Persian Gulf, almost daily.
Especially recently - from the news of the King of Bahrain, to the post of model Ruslana Rudina, who documented her visit to one of Bahrain's luxury hotels, "Four Seasons".
Participants in "Pisgat Hanegev", Photo: Reuters
Two major events last week contributed to a further uplift in Israel's relations with Bahrain.
The first - the "Negev Summit", where Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and four foreign ministers, including Bahrain, met for the first time in Israel;
And the second - the 28th International Mediterranean Tourism Exhibition IMTM.
Bahrain took an active part in the exhibition, along with 56 other countries, and at the booth it set up we spoke with Sheikh Zayed bin Rashd al-Ziani, Bahrain's Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism.
Al-Ziani tells Israel Today in a special interview with Israel Today about Bahrain's particularly ambitious plans in the field of tourism - to reach 14 million tourists a year by the end of 2026. This is a huge number, given the fact that Bahrain is a small country with only 1.7 million inhabitants. .
"Tourism development"
To illustrate - Israel, with a population of about 9 million people, reached a peak of 4.5 million tourists in 2019 - before the corona burst into our lives.
From the conversation with the Bahraini tourism minister, they understand that the high goal is possible, as long as they want and invest.
"We are investing in tourism infrastructure. We are currently building the largest exhibition (310,000 square meters) at the conference center in the Middle East - and we hope it will be ready this year.
We are investing in indoor infrastructure - beaches and water facilities around Bahrain, "says al-Ziani.
Manama Business Center, Bahrain Capital, Photo: Reuters
Bahrain has a lot to offer tourists - a combination of more than 5,000 years of history, along with spectacular shopping malls and hotels, nightlife and more.
Prices in Bahrain are significantly lower compared to other countries in the region, and compared to Israel.
"Prices in Bahrain are very competitive. There are all levels of hotels in Bahrain, with a very high level of service and a professional staff," says al-Ziani.
"During the Corona period we supported our tourism industry. The government paid all the salaries of those employed in the industry during the first three months of the epidemic. We also abolished all tourism levies - so they did not have to pay anything to the government. Was about 32% of our GDP.
We gave four more then, at lower amounts. "
Al-Ziani is optimistic about the future: "Relations with Israel are growing very fast. About a year and a half since the Avraham agreement - we have an embassy here, and Israel has an embassy in Manama. The two ambassadors are very active. We have signed 38 agreements and understandings between the two governments. "Business and investment are with Israel, and we are already seeing sharp growth in the volume of trade. Bahrain exports aluminum and steel to Israel, and imports mainly high-tech components from Israel, and now we have also begun to see tourism developments."
Disclosure: The author of the interview was a guest in Bahrain as part of the press delegation to Formula 1, which takes place every year in Bahrain
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