Bahrain International Circuit CEO, Martin Whitaker, has called on the country’s tourism and hospitality industries to be more ‘proactive’ in their involvement with the country’s Formula One Grand Prix.
The Bahrain Grand Prix is estimated to have injected more than half a billion dollars of revenue to the island kingdom in 2008.
In 2009, 93,682 turned out to attend the race and its peripheral events, claimed BIC.
Despite the impressive statistics, Whitaker commented that further economic benefits could be discovered if the country’s tourism and hospitality sectors did more to leverage the potential of the Formula One race and the BIC facility itself.
“Where we ... perhaps haven’t realised the true value of the circuit in the past five years, is through the tourism community,” he commented.
“That’s the most crucial thing that we’ve been pushing in the last year, is to infuse with the hoteliers, tour operators, the new Bahrain Ministry of Tourism, Gulf Air, The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the country’s retailers.
“We need to make sure they recognise the value of the circuit as a great opportunity and something of great value to the Kingdom.”
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In addition to the huge tourism potential created by the Bahrain Grand Prix race itself, BIC has claimed the circuit’s ‘welcome centre’ attracts between 8,500 and 9,000 visitors per month.
It also boasted more than 450 local and international events in 2008, in addition to 150 charity and community functions.
Whitaker praised the Kingdom’s government for moving in the right direction with regards to using the circuit and its various events as a tourism tool.
“The new drive from the Ministry of Information towards creating a greater and more proactive tourism authority can only benefit from the circuit, as a catalyst for changing people’s perceptions about Bahrain as a tourism destination,” he said.
“A new tourism authority is being developed in Bahrain and the quicker that authority gains momentum, things will not only get better for the circuit, but for the entire Kingdom.”
In 2010, Bahrain will host the opening race of the Formula One Season on March 14.
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