Page 174 - DILMUN NO 19

The Economic istoyr of ahrain

ln addition, inestment banks and lslamic banking houses are the other
prominent financial institutions. lnestment banks include lnestcorp ank
and eirll ‫ﺍ‬ynch of the U. lso, ahrain stands to draw benefits from the
growing popularity of the concept of lslamic banking. Conentionla banks
operating in ahrain, such as Citibank, are likewise inoled in Islamic
finance .a The largest concentration of lslamic banks is in anama?" patrly
because audi institutions such as Faisal and lbaraka use ahrain as their
base for the interest-free lslamic banking.

.3 TOUI
otels operating in ahrain meet dierse prices and tastes. s of early 2000,
the number of operating hotels was put at 77. any international hotesl
including le eridien, heraton, ilton, eridien, oliday ١nn and amada
lnn, to name a few, hae representation in anama. Tourists and isitors
from neighboring audi rabia and Kuwait freuent the hotles in patricula.r

The authorities hae long been determined to place ahrain on the tourists'
map through alliances are made with tour organisaitons. ahrain is
promoting itself as the liberal place to cater to the needs of the alffuent Gulf
consumers. To be sure, there is no shotrage of tourist attractions in ahrain.
These include museums, parks, clubs, histoircla places to name a few.
ahrain offers a full range of spotring actiities.a The lodest cemeteyr in the
world is said to be located in ahrain. The thousands of mounds, spreading
throughout the country, speak of a long histo,y "he shores of, and skies
aboe, ahrain's seas suppotr falcons and ospre,y as well as huge
concentraitons of winteirng birds, including flamingos."0 side from natural

27 oula Khalaf, "٨ inherent contradiction ," iFnancial imes urey, Financial imes, 1
ecember 14, 36.

2 ushtak arka,r "ahrain sets the pae," he iddle East, June 1, 1.
2 amela ٨٨ mith, "ear١ of the Gulf: eritage on ie,w" detring ection, lntemational

erald ribune, 16 ecember 13, 2.
30 Ken Wells, " ٢ragile ecosystem off ahrain faces raages of oil slick," Wall treet Joumral,

13 Feburayr 11, 1) and .)