The envoy said there was growing interest in visiting Bahrain among tourists and official delegations from Indian states. Indian Ambassador Vinod Jacob said Bahrain is now on the travel list of not only tourists but also Indian government officials looking for new areas of travel cooperation. “The presence of Indian tourists in Bahrain is very visible.” .
“According to the latest data, more than 500,000 Indians visited Bahrain in the first six months of this year, compared to more than 269,000 in the same period last year,” Jacob said. The Indian market is also seeing an influx of tourists from Bahrain, he said, citing the example of high-level trade visits from Saudi Arabia to New Delhi. He said the tourist footprint was evident as delegations from Karnataka and Goa recently visited Bahrain, reflecting interest in Manama as an ideal holiday destination. “We also encourage our Bahraini friends to take advantage of the tourism opportunities available in India and enjoy their stay.”
Jacob said the embassy in Seef district had issued a total of 4,990 visas, 70% of which were tourist visas, and had issued nearly 4,000 visas as of last month. He said the visas were mainly issued to Bahrainis traveling for leisure and medical tourism purposes. “We have also launched a new category of Ayush (AY) visas for foreigners seeking treatment under the Ayush system/Indian healthcare system such as treatment, health, yoga etc.” This new category of visas is It is aimed at foreigners seeking treatment and is part of India’s ‘Heal in India’ initiative roadmap, which aims to promote India as a destination with medical value.
Meanwhile, the diplomat also reiterated support for working with relevant authorities in Bahrain to increase the number of flights to some destinations in India. Bahrain has announced plans to attract 14.1 million tourists by 2026 as part of its new tourism strategy for 2022-2026 as part of its economic recovery plan.
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