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MANAMA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Bahrain generated 3.9 billion U.S. dollars from tourism in 2016, posting a 50 percent increase from a year earlier, Bahrain News Agency reported on Sunday.
Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed R. Alzayani said the tourism sector contributed 37 percent of the kingdom's non-oil gross domestic product (GDP) in 2016.
The average daily expenditure per tourist increased from 191 to 233 U.S. dollars in the same period, he added.
The minister also said the contribution of the tourism sector to GDP hit 6.3 percent in 2016, up from 4.3 percent in 2015, while Bahrain is working to increase the number to seven percent by the end of 2018.
Meanwhile, the total number of visitors to Bahrain was 11.6 million in 2015 and rose to 12.3 million in 2016, according to Alzayani.
