AN INVESTIGATION INTO THAI INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN BAHRAIN

Abstract

The Kingdom of Bahrain, a small archipelago of 35 islands in the Persian Gulf, has long had a history of international trade. The Kingdom of Bahrain has long been interested in diversifying its oil-based economy, and to facilitate this has established legal and financial incentives for overseas investment. Based on the information obtained from sixteen Thai and fourteen Bahraini entrepreneurs, academics and government officials, this study performed used Multi-Sectoral Qualitative Analysis (MSQA) and the Industry Attractiveness-Business Strength Matrix (IA-BSM) techniques to examine the feasibility of investment Bahrain by Thailand, focusing on four industry sectors: foodstuffs, meat and vegetable products, manufacturing products and services. Although the results indicated that all four sectors were well worth considering, the services sector was the most attractive one for Thailand. The results of these analyses will then be used to generate a comprehensive, open and impartial review of the attractiveness of the Kingdom of Bahrain to Thai investors that can be passed on to the Thai government and business leaders.