Indians Prefer Bahrain for Vacations and Weddings

Bahrain recorded an 87 percent surge in Indians visiting the Kingdom in the first six months of 2023, a whopping 504,173 arrivals compared to 269,302 during the same period in 2022. A large number of Indian expats call Bahrain home, as such, the surge in number doesn’t come as a surprise.

Bahrain is transforming into a great destination for tourists from around the world. The Gulf country is working towards implementing wide-ranging plans and programs to enhance its tourism sector. Vinod Jacob, Indian Ambassador to Bahrain, said the two countries are working together on the tourism and investment front, as well as deepening historic ties.

India Has Ayush Visa for Foreign Nationals

He encouraged the people of Bahrain to also explore India. Jacob said the Embassy issued 3,904 visas as of mid-September, with the majority being tourist visas. “I would like to welcome more Bahrainis to visit India for leisure, business, education and medical purposes.”
Jacob said India is now issuing a new category of visa called Ayush (AY) visa for foreign nationals seeking medical treatment. “This is part of India’s roadmap for the Heal in India initiative which aims to promote India as a medical value travel destination.” Foreign nationals can take advantage of wellness and yoga, therapeutic care.

India – Bahrain Relations

The Indian diplomat said India and Bahrain relations are strengthening through bilateral trade. From $575 million, it tripled to $1.6 billion in 2022. “Some of the gains seen last year could be temporary adjustments in the immediate aftermath of lifting of the COVID-19 related restrictions. On the investment front, India holds the sixth place in Bahrain with a total of $1.4 billion.”

Jacob believes India and Bahrain can explore new ways and new sectors to make progress and collaboration in IT, big data, fintech, and renewable energy. He also shed light on the Global Biofuel Alliance, which was launched earlier this month by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of Bangladesh, Italy, Brazil, USA, Argentina, Singapore, Mauritius and the UAE.

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“The alliance intends to expedite the global uptake of biofuels through facilitating technology advancements, intensifying utilization of sustainable biofuels, shaping robust standard setting and certification through the participation of a wide spectrum of stakeholders.”