Mai stressed the tourism sector “is recovering” in Bahrain. Addressing reporters, she revealed that a number of event-organizing teams from different countries are willing to participate in this summer festival.

She said she discussed with Makkah Gov. Khaled Al-Faisal the need to establish a regional center in charge of preserving culture and heritage in the region. 

Bandar bin Fahad Al-Fuhaid, president of the Arab Tourism Organization, said Bahrain receives some six million tourists annually and that their collaboration with Bahrain was aimed at providing workshops and training for Bahrainis to promote tourism.

Asked about the tourism ID, he said: “It is not equivalent to a passport, but it will help tourists protect their passports because they can carry the IDs around instead.”

It is also essential for security reasons, he said.

Al-Fuhaid stressed the importance of intra-tourism programs, which he said are safe and valuable. He also stated that they have signed agreements with the Islamic Development Bank to ease investments and loans in Arab countries affected by recent unrest.

According to Al-Fuhaid, efforts are on to build strategic relations with neighboring countries in the area of tourism.

“Turkey is an essential partner in the region when it comes to tourism it receives 30 million tourists a year,” he said.

Tourism in the Arab region had grown by 45 percent before the political unrest, said Al-Fuhaid.