70 December 2011 BTM Generating fresh ideas Forever competing against newer destinations and offerings in the region, Bahrain will, in the long run, need to develop a quality product that is typically unique to the Kingdom. For this, expertise can be sought from international consultants working in this field. “We need an international expert with a proven background and track record in developing tourism infrastructure, to act as advisor to Bahrain and bring in fresh ideas. Competition is tough here. This expert can evaluate what Bahrain currently offers and what the rest of GCC offers and then identify a unique niche that will set the Kingdom apart from other destinations in the region,” suggests Mohamed. “Bahrain may not be able to execute large-scale projects, but it can put to use some of its existing infrastructure. For example, the Formula One circuit at the BIC could be used throughout the year to hold more events.” The tourism and hospitality industry never tires of voicing its concerns in every meeting with top government officials, he maintains. "If the comments and suggestions put forward a long time back were implemented, Bahrain would've been in a much better position than it is now compared to other GCC states. We should be active and not reactive,” he asserts. Service is not servitude Mohamed points out that he joined the Gulf Hotel as a trainee and gradually rose through the ranks, before retiring from BHC, the hotel’s owning firm, as managing director 35 years later. During his tenure in the 1980s, Bahrainis accounted for around 25 per cent of the hotel industry personnel in the Kingdom and the Gulf Hotel won accolades for more than 12 straight years for its high percentage of Bahrainisation. These numbers deteriorated with the expansion of the economy and the industry lost the locals to other sectors like banking and financial services where pay packages were bigger and working hours better. The tourism industry is sure to find its footing in three to five years’ time, in sync with the next economic upturn, Mohamed believes. "Our earlier efforts to emulate the "Visit Asia" promotion of the Far East countries did prove successful, but ultimately, our efforts went astray because we did not receive the full government support, not only from Bahrain, but also from other GCC states. Though the issue has been discussed by among Bahrain hoteliers and travel agents as well as our counterparts from other GCC countries, and we're all in favour of of ‘packaging' the region internationally, but our efforts failed due to lack of official support." Mohamed is not sure whether there’s a viable market for the large number of hotels coming into supply over the coming year, but he is confident that the present situation can only improve with time. “In this industry, we live in hope always. What happened in Bahrain is nothing compared to the chaos in other countries that witnessed the ‘Arab Spring’. We are safe and we live in peace. Hopefully, 2012 will be a better year and Bahrain will go back to being the ‘Island of Smiles’,” he hopes. Government push in packaging annualreview leave the rest to usSM Tel: +973 17296660 email:[email protected] www.ramadapalacehotel.com OPENING SOON
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