Bahrain, represented by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), has been selected as a member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Executive Council for the period 2018-2021.

This selection comes as a result of BTEA’s efforts towards developing the tourism sector on a local level, as well as the kingdom’s capability to represent the Middle East region in terms of tourism developments, said a BTEA statement.

Following a voting by the Middle East Committee, Bahrain and Egypt were elected as members of the Executive Council. Yemen and Lebanon were also in the contest. Egypt won by nine votes and Bahrain by six, to four votes for Lebanon and one vote for Yemen.

The announcement was made during the 22nd session of the World Tourism Organization General Assembly, currently under way in China (Sept 11 to 16).

“We would like to extend our deep congratulations to the wise leadership on the occasion of the kingdom’s selection as a member of the UNWTO Executive Council. This achievement will further strengthen the kingdom's position in managing the tourism portfolio on an international level,” said the Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism and chairman of BTEA, Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani.

The UNWTO was established in 1925 and is based in the Spanish capital of Madrid. Its Executive Council is considered the world's top tourism executive body with 32 members representing the six regions of the world. – TradeArabia News Service