The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) recently held meetings with Korean officials to discuss enhancing mutual cooperation in the tourism sector and injecting substantial Korean investments in the Bahraini market.

The meetings were held on the sidelines of the official visit of the high-level Bahraini economic delegation to South Korea, led by Abdullah bin Adel Fakhro, Industry and Commerce Minister, accompanied by Noor bint Ali Al Khulaif, Minister of Sustainable Development, reported Bahrain News Agency (BNA).

BTEA’s visit to South Korea has come to fruition with the signing of an MoU with the Korean Tourism Organisation (KTO) to enhance tourism cooperation between the two countries, discovering possible opportunities to attract more Korean tourists to Bahrain, and perusing promising investments in the fields of hospitality and entertainment in Bahrain’s market.

According to Korean officials and businessmen, Bahrain offers a very attractive and friendly investment climate that allows it to attract Korean capital into one of the fastest-growing areas, tourism.

On this occasion, the president of KTO stated: "We are thrilled to ink this MoU with BTEA that will reinforce our strong interest in significantly growing the tourism cooperation between South Korea and Bahrain. We are excited to collaborate on all areas relating to linking our travel service providers, developing air linkages, participating in exhibitions, and encouraging more events and media collaborations. We thank BTEA for their robust efforts to engage with Korean tourists and the travel industry. We look forward to visiting Bahrain very soon to solidify these efforts and grow the very solid ties between the two countries."

Dr Naser Qaedi, CEO of Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority, commented: "We are excited for signing this MoU, which will move tourism collaboration into wider horizons with South Korea, a very promising market in terms of tourism and entertainment industries. This MoU will definitely help to attract enormous direct Korean investments to the Kingdom in family entertainment and hospitality. We have invited all tourism-related parties in South Korea to visit Bahrain and discover its tourism potential."


In terms of hotels, Dr Qaedi met with executives from Lotte Hotels & Resorts to explore the group's expansion in Bahrain.

"As one of Asia's leading luxury hotel brands, we see Bahrain as an ideal first stepping stone into the Middle East market," said Lotte reps. “We are eager to explore this with the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority as we expand our relationship to expand our brand abroad. Lotte is a leading hotel brand, and Bahrain is an important partner to us."

Concerning the MICE sector, Dr Qaedi held talks with TMONET, one of the leading event management companies in South Korea, who announced their interest in visiting Bahrain to get closer to investment opportunities in the Kingdom, and they are willing to intensify their interaction with BTEA to organise multiple events and functions across the Kingdom, attract international conventions, and promote Bahrain on the sidelines of the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix in the coming future.

Dr Qaedi also discussed with Hanatour, a leading tour operator in South Korea, possible ways to create special travel packages for Korean tourists.

"We are pleased to have met with the BTEA to explore opportunities to promote Bahrain as a destination for Korean travelers. As one of the leading tour operators in South Korea, we see Bahrain as an important market, which we look forward to working on during our upcoming visit and where we will be working with the Tourism Authority to introduce packages for Korean travelers,” Hanatour said.

In respect of the entertainment and hospitality sectors, Dr Qaedi held talks with the Korean theme park "Monoloth" in Seoul, looking for the best mechanisms to inject Korean investments in Bahrain’s entertainment sector. Moreover, holding talks with Sulbing, a food and beverage company.

Regarding the travel and the civil aviation sector, Dr Qaedi raised with the Korean Air representatives the issue of creating special travel packages to Bahrain.

The BTEA CEO also discussed with the Korean Gem Trade Association (KGTA) the chances of visiting Bahrain this year. The KGTA chairman commented: "We are looking forward to participating at Jewellery Arabia this year in collaboration with BTEA. We are keen on expanding our relationship to build links with Gulf markets and jewellers to both showcase premium-crafted Korean jewellery as well as procure from Bahrain."