‘The opportunity outweighs the challenge’: Bahrain leads drive to restore tourism in the Gulf after eight months of conflict and collapsing visitor numbers 

Bahrain’s minister of tourism, H.E. Fatima bint Jaffar Al Sairafi, told Fortune that the campaign would encourage international visitors to travel across several Gulf countries on one vacation. Bahrain proposed the initiative at a Gulf tourism meeting in Manama, the kingdom’s capital, in September, where it secured approval.  

“All the countries are on board and the plan will be implemented very soon.” Al Sairafi said at the Gulf Gateway investment forum in Bahrain. Tourism in the Gulf states generated nearly $131.9 billion in 2025. But since the war began, the World Travel & Tourism Council estimated in March that the region was losing around $600 million per day in tourism revenues. 

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“[We want to] promote our countries in terms of multi-destination itineraries rather than solo itineraries, that’s actually where our strength is,” Al Sairafi said. Gulf tourism leaders had been “very disheartened” by the Iranian attacks after years of expansion in the sector, she added arguing that closer regional cooperation offered a way to rebuild.  

The initiative would bring together Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait as they seek to restore confidence in a tourism market where visitor numbers have collapsed.  

In 2025, the region welcomed 75.7 million international tourists, according to UN Tourism, representing a 4.9% increase on the previous year.  

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) publicly announced approval of a tourism recovery plan on Sep. 10, and Al Sairafi confirmed that the global campaign was close to launch.  

Al Sairafi said that the conflict had accelerated cooperation between Gulf tourism authorities, turning the region’s shared exposure to disruption into an incentive to market destinations together. “I really believe that the recent developments that have happened over the past few months are one of the main drivers for us to actually combine our effort,” she said.  

Her model is based on the multi-country European vacation. Visitors making a long journey from Europe or Asia, including China, will be encouraged to explore neighboring Gulf states using the region’s road and air connections. 

“Rarely do we only visit one country,” she said of trips to Europe. “We want to create a destination where people enjoy all the cultures of all the GCC states and spend time and money equally.”  

Making those trips easier to book will also require coordination. Al Sairafi said that aligned tourism calendars, better transport connections, and cooperation between airlines, hotels, and booking platforms would be needed.  

The research agency, ORF Middle East, said that support for tourism businesses and efforts to restart events could become harder to sustain if the conflict drags on. With increased tensions and potential renewed disruption, the joint promotion offers no guarantee of a return to previous tourism numbers.  

Al Sairafi pointed to Bahrain’s international conference calendar as evidence that confidence was returning. Business visitors were extending their stays and booking guided tours, she said, bringing spending beyond the events themselves. 

According to the ministry, Bahrain’s visitor numbers increased more than 50% between the launch of its tourism strategy in 2022 and 2025, while tourism revenue rose more than 30%. Al Sairafi says recovery would mean renewed annual growth in arrivals, revenue and overnight stays.  

“I believe that the opportunity that we see outweighs the challenge,” she said.