Island of Bahrain's first international boat show opens

The Bahrain Boat Show International (BBSI), www.bahrainboatshow.com, will be held at the Amwaj Islands Marina.

Bahrain's event follows other successful shows in Kuwait and Abu Dhabi, and is brought to the island by Knotika Boat Shows - a division of Knotika Holding, which supports the biggest boat show network in the Middle East. The event is open from 4pm to 10pm daily and costs BD3 per person per day.

The show plans to welcome 10,000 visitors with local, regional and international exhibitors representing more than 150 international brands showcasing the latest variety of marine products including yachts, equipments, accessories, engines, waterskiing, diving, surfing, fishing, marinas builders and insurance.

The Bahrain Boat Show International runs concurrently with the F1 Grand Prix, and provides an ideal evening venue for those attending the grand prix festivities during the day.

"Bahrain is an emerging leisure marine market, and we intend to showcase this with the first ever Bahrain Boat Show International as we believe the island of Bahrain has the potential to become the capital yachting destination in the GCC due to its geographical location in the center of the Arab World. We would like to thank our sponsors, Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), Bahrain Media Services, Arabian Marina, United Motors Company and Fortune Promoseven Holding for their support. The boat show has been conceived to coincide with Bahrain's biggest racing event, the Formula 1, and provides an ideal after-hours event for the whole family," said Wael Juju, CEO Knotika Holding.

Major exhibitors at the Boat Show include Art Marine, Kooheji Marine, Delma, Intercol, Al Fardan, Princess Yachts Middle East , Leisure Marine, and Master Craft.

Companies attending comprise of AGA Marine, Al Masaood Marine, Al Shayaa Marine, Delma Industrial Supply & Marine Services, Mag Marine, Gulf Craft, and United Marine Trading Co. WLL.

The show's venue, Amwaj Marina, is part of the Amwaj Islands project which is comprised of six luxurious, man-made islands off the coast of Muharraq.

With a combination of residential neighborhoods, commercial districts and spectacular leisure resorts, they unite to create a smart city environment and high-tech lifestyle.

Bahrain has seen an increasing amount of waterfront developments with a focus on leisure boating in recent years, and has available berths and modern full-service marinas.

Its location is a quick one-day cruising distance from United Arab Emirates (UAE) or Kuwait and only hours from Qatar.

Bahrain also offers close proximity and convenient access to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi market has been especially resilient to the current financial and economical crisis with 75,000 people crossing the King Fahd Causeway from Saudi Arabia to Bahrain every weekend.