Bahrain - An urgent request for an open parliamentary debate on enhancing Bahrain’s position as a hub for transit passengers and tourists has been unanimously approved by MPs.

Ten MPs, led by Mamdooh Al Saleh, submitted the proposal, with arrangements now being made by acting Parliament speaker Abbdulnabi Salman to invite government officials to a later session for their opinions.

It focuses on eight key discussion topics including transit passenger services at Bahrain International Airport, granting short-term visas for transit passengers who wish to visit Bahrain for a day or two and investing in tourism infrastructure, among other areas.

The request calls for strengthening Bahrain’s infrastructure to handle an increasing number of travellers and examine the Tourism Ministry’s continuing efforts in promoting Bahrain as a travel destination.

The MPs are looking into the possibility of further simplifying visa procedures through digital platforms to further enhance accessibility without jeopardising security measures.

In addition, the open debate aims to analyse Bahrain’s competitiveness in the tourism and transit sector by comparing its offerings with neighbouring countries.

The discussion will highlight ongoing and future government initiatives aimed at increasing tourism’s contribution to the national economy.

This includes supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism sector and enhancing Gulf Air’s role for transit passengers such as premium in-flight services and expanding the airline’s code share agreements with regional and international carriers.

“Bahrain has immense potential to become a major transit and tourism hub in the region,” said Mr Al Saleh. “With strategic improvements in services, infrastructure and government policies, we can attract a higher volume of travellers, benefiting our economy and positioning Bahrain as a leading destination,” he added.

Meanwhile, MPs unanimously approved another open debate request into the electronic Haj registration system.

It was submitted by 10 MPs led by services committee vice-chairman Mohammed Al Olaiwi.

It comes amid concerns over the mechanisms used to allocate seats for this year’s pilgrimage and the criteria for approving or rejecting Haj operators.

The GDN has reported in November last year that a total of 14,397 applicants have registered online for Haj through the electronic platform.

They were sorted out by the platform ‘according to priority and precedence criteria’ within the limit of Bahrain’s quota of 4,625 pilgrims divided among 55 licensed Haj operators, the High Committee for Haj and Umrah Affairs announced at the time.

The MPs have raised questions about the transparency of the system, which has left many operators unclear about the number of accepted applicants from the submissions made in November.

This uncertainty has reportedly hindered preparations with service providers in Saudi Arabia for the upcoming pilgrimage season, scheduled for early June.

Pilgrims are expected to depart at the end of May, pointed out the MPs in their covering memo with the request.

Mr Al Olaiwi highlighted the need for clarity regarding how seats were being distributed.

“We want to understand the exact mechanisms used to allocate seats and why some operators were approved while others were rejected,” he said. “This lack of transparency is creating confusion and frustration among operators and applicants alike.”

The MPs are also seeking answers regarding the criteria used to approve certain Haj operators while rejecting others.

Also unanimously approved is an open debate on the performance of the Sunni and Jaffari Waqf (Endowments) Directorates.

The proposal by 10 MPs, led by Strategic Thinking Bloc member Abdulla Al Romaihi, would focus on strategies and procedures for investments and development of the Endowments. It also aims to look into religious funds and savings, besides collecting ongoing and due payments.

The proposed debate will address maintenance of worship places as well as issues related to employment and promotion policies.

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