The Kingdom of Bahrain, represented by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), has been selected as a member of the UNWTO Executive Council for the period 2018-2021.

This selection comes as a result of the 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.

Zurab Pololikashvili, UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)  secretary-general, said that the kingdom has taken strong steps to boost tourism and continues to be a strong regional player in this sector.

"Bahrain has all the facilities and infrastructure to become a global tourism hub," he said.

He was speaking at a press conference held at the ART Rotana, Amwaj yesterday (October 31), following the opening of the 109th session of the UNWTO Executive council in Bahrain.

The session, which ends today, will discuss several topics on the agenda related to the development of the global tourism sector.

Representatives from 35 countries, including ministers and ambassadors, are attending the landmark event in Bahrain.

On the sidelines of UNWTO Executive Council, the BTEA is hosting the ‘UNWTO Tourism Tech Adventures: Big Data Solutions in Tourism’ today (November 1). The forum, held in collaboration with the UNWTO and IE Business School, brings together various representatives from governments and the public sector, industry leaders, entrepreneurs and startups, investors, representatives from the academic sector, as well as business supporters, with the ultimate goal of stimulating innovation, entrepreneurship and investments in the tourism sector and also focusing on the use of big data solutions in tourism and how they can power new and upcoming business models through innovation.

“As a member of the UNWTO Executive Council for two terms of the General Assembly, which runs until 2021, it gives us great pleasure to host the ‘UNWTO Tourism Tech Adventures: Big Data Solutions in Tourism’ forum which gives attendees the opportunity to network and engage with key players of the international entrepreneurial ecosystem,” said the chief executive officer of BTEA, Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa.

“The forum will be a driving force enabling tourism startups to grow internationally by providing an excellent platform for innovators in tourism to connect with top global investors, corporates and supporting business partners,” he added.

In addition, the forum will include activities for startups including a masterclass and a competition, two panel sessions on Smart Tourism Management and Big Data Solutions in Tourism, as well as a Ministerial Masterclass.

The UNWTO was established in 1975 and is based in the Spanish capital of Madrid. It is concerned with countries’ political affairs in terms of tourism and produces statistics on tourism demand and supply worldwide. Its membership includes 145 countries, comprises six regions, and 350 Affiliate Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities. - TradeArabia News Service