Tourism promotion workshop concluded

Manama, Sep. 21 (BNA): Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) held a closing ceremony for the workshop held focusing on promoting the Kingdom as a wedding destination. The ceremony honored the various participants of the two-day workshop held at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre and was attended by the Chief Executive of Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority, Shaikh Khalid bin Humood Al Khalifa. "We would like to thank the organizers and participants of this workshop. This event directly supports our efforts to strengthen Bahrain’s position and promote its offering to a wider market. We will continuously host such workshops and trainings programs that will elevate the professional and entrepreneurs involved in the overall tourism and wedding industry," said Shaikh Khalid. International experts from Singapore and the USA hosted four workshops shedding the light on the latest industry trends and other related topics; Fred Then focused on the entrepreneur skills and business acumen required for wedding and event planners while Hanna Chong focused on how to plan unique weddings. Diann Valentine focused on methods to use when promoting Bahrain as a luxurious wedding destination and David Snook focused on how to use communications to position Bahrain’s wedding offering. "Bahrain possesses unique qualities and a string tourism infrastructure that enables the Kingdom to be positioned as the leading wedding venue. It is an attractive location even for American nationals and tourists; it’s an island gateway that is very welcoming. Such attractions must be promoted to a larger audience," said American designer and TV host, Diane Valentine. Further commenting, David Snook lauded the efforts exerted by Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority to promote the Kingdom as a wedding destination. "It is very important that all industry-related companies and professionals work together to develop the industry." Meanwhile, Hanna Chong stressed that innovation and creativity is key to the development of the industry. "For the industry to reach international standards, it must excel and be creative." Participants included bridal and fashion designers, wedding planners, retailers, 5-star hotels, events and entertainment companies, jewelry designers, and travel agencies. Participants were also taken on a tour to view the major wedding venues and tourist attractions to further understand the unique positioning of the Kingdom. "Our strategy was to include the top wedding experts in the series of workshops hosted by BETA, to further share knowledge and experience. The workshop was attended by a large number of participants from the industry," said Dr. Ali Follad, Advisor at Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority. "We hope that the workshops results in strengthening the cooperation between industry peers in order to position Bahrain on the global map. We aim to be hub for creative weddings and events," he added.