Bahrain, a group of 33 islands, with an area of 707 square kilometres, is situated in the Arabian Gulf, off the east coast of Saudi Arabia. Bahrain is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Middle East with over two million tourists a year.The capital, Manama, on the main island, boasts excellent hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, an intriguing souq (bazaar) and all the other facilities visitors need for a great holiday. In addition, the beaches are stunning, the weather hot and sunny, English is spoken and understood everywhere, and the kingdom has the remnants of more than 5,000 years of civilisation to be explored: its future as a popular holiday destination for westerners. Most of the visitors are from the Arab, Persian Gulf states but there is an increasing number of tourists from outside the region thanks to a growing awareness of the Kingdom’s rich heritage and its higher profile with regards to the Bahrain Formula One Race Track. Bahrain is the home of Formula One racing in the Middle East. It started hosting the Gulf Air Grand Prix on 4 April 2004, the first for an Arab country. The race was won by Michael Schumacher of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro. This was followed by the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2005. Bahrain has successfully hosted the opening Grand Prix of the 2006 season on 12 March. Both the above races were won by Fernando Alonso of Renault F1. Bahrain will be hosting the 2007 Gulf Air Grand Prix on April 13th, 14th and 15th. The Kingdom combines authentic Arab culture, contemporary Gulf glitz and the archaeological legacy of five thousand years of civilisation.

Dilmun is this resource which has meant that Bahrain has long fought over by regional powers in a predominantly arid region. As a result, the island is home to many castles including the impressive Qalat Al Bahrain which was recently listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The Bahrain National Museum has a wide-varied collection of artifacts from the Kingdom’s history dating back to the island’s first human inhabitation 9000 years ago. Many new tourist attraction resorts are being planned in Bahrain such as the Al Areen Resort, Dannat Hawar, Durrat Al Bahrain, Amwaj Islands, Lulu Island, Riffa Views, iceberg tower and Bahrain Bay which will be home to the Kingdom’s first Four Seasons Hotel.The project resembles a necklace and will comprise of 13 islands – an arc of six atolls and five pearl-shaped islands; an island for a five-star resort and aqua park and a crescent-shaped island for a residential complex. Tala Islands will encompass 136,000 square metres. The development, which costs US$110 million, will accommodate 48 beachfront villas, 42 two-storey, mid-size villas, as well as 410 apartments in 31 blocks and another 148 smaller apartments. The development will also include an aqua park, retail areas, a sports centre, tennis club and restaurants and coffee shops. The artificial island, which is part of the Amwaj Islands project, will measure approximately 28,000 square metres and is designed to have a series of canals where boats can cruise and even park beside their own back garden where the level of water is maintained within 50 centimetres ‘rise and fall’ by a sector-lock gate located at the south entrance of the island adjacent to the proposed Yacht Club.

Bartering is expected, and indeed turns the whole experience of shopping into a challenge to see who can obtain the best price. The central market, completed in 1978, provides modern facilities for trades, which were unavailable, when the market took place in the soukh. It is well worth a visit, if only to enjoy the brightly colored display of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as the scents of the herbs, nuts and spices. Bahrain gold is usually 21 carat and hallmark; it is available in an infinite number of styles, including traditional Bedouin designs as well as the more contemporary European jewelry.With water temperatures ranging from 34C in summer to 20C in winter, providing comfortable diving conditions year round, up to 30 species of coral and in excess of 200 species of fish can be found, in particular, on the northern offshore reefs of Bahrain. Here, divers, underwater photographers and snorkellers can discover a myriad of Indo Pacific species including clown fish, trigger fish, surgeon fish, turtles, rays, lion fish,grouper, snapper, crayfish and even whalesharks; while tuna, mackerel, trevally and barracuda cruise above.

One of the leading golf course designers, has designed the BD 7 million ($18.6m) Riffa Golf Course. The Riffa Golf Club is being constructed to professional Golf Association standards with the first seven holes on a dramatic Wadi terrain and remaining 11 holes lay out around and over four lakes. The nearly 63 hectares site for the new golf course on undeveloped land has been carefully chosen for both access and terrain. The course is par 72 and is 6.286m in length with some 24 hectares of grass and will landscaped with palms and shrubbery to give a tropical feeling in the desert terrain.

Along with an excellent network of hotels, apartments and restaurants, attract an increasing number of regional and international tourists.