Bahrain’s Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA), in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, has delivered a workshop on improving the mechanisms behind gathering tourism statistics in the kingdom.

 

Over 20 government and tourism experts were in attendance.

 

iGA Director of Economic Statistics, Noora Khamis Al-Saadoon, said the workshop, which reflects the strong partnership between the iGA and the ministry, is part of ongoing efforts towards improving the tourism sector, one of the most important contributors to the kingdom’s national economy. 

 

Since 2015, Bahrain’s tourism statistics have been digitized as part of a multi-phased strategy to develop the sector. This has led to enhancements in data sources in line with the recommendations of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) and the creation of a comprehensive statistics and information database, compiled from government entities using the Bahrain Open Data Portal (data.gov.bh). She highlighted the importance of indices and data in assisting government organizations and decision-makers in achieving national objectives and supporting the Kingdom’s development.

 

Al-Saadoon added that the main objective behind the workshop was to explore and exchange ideas on how to further develop data collection and production in coordination with relevant tourism entities. 

 

The workshop also discussed the technical aspects of the deployment of advanced technologies and improving government administrative records, which are necessary for meeting national, regional, and global statistical data collection standards, and tourism statistics in particular. This is in addition to providing the data entries necessary for the implementation of Bahrain’s tourism strategy and supporting decision-makers.

 

During her presentation on the current status of tourism statistics, Al-Saadoon covered the different stages of the national tourism statistics project, from the launch of the Kingdom’s tourism establishment surveys up until the present day. She highlighted a number of achievements by the iGA, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, including the creation of a comprehensive database for tourism demand (visits, classifications, and expenditures of tourists), supply (products offered to tourists), and Tourism satellite Account (internationally approved accounting tool for calculating the contribution of tourism to the national economy), all of which help achieve the sustainable development goals and Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030.

 

She added that statistical work underwent changes during the pandemic, which presented challenges in collecting field data using traditional surveys. This necessitated the exploration of alternative methods which utilise Big Data resources and administrative records. The iGA’s deployment of advanced technologies streamlined the collection of field data through the use of modern methods.

 

iGA tourism expert Dr Ahmed Rajab talked about the non-traditional data sources used in the collection and production of tourism statistics, as well as the main standards used in gauging incoming tourism. He highlighted some of the latest methods, including the monitoring of administrative, mobile phone, and bank card records.

 

Ministry of Tourism Director of Monitoring and Licensing, Sinan Al Jaberi gave a presentation on the tourism data and statistical requirements of the ministry, where he emphasised the importance of keeping pace with current trends related to the monitoring of tourism data and statistics. – TradeArabia News Service