Bahrain International Travel Expo 2007 attracts over 18,000 visitors

Commenting on the success of BITE 2007, Mr Jamil A Wafa, Group Chairman, Magnum Holdings (parent company of Magnum Events and Exhibitions Management - MEEM), said: 'This year, we put in considerable amount of research and efforts in attracting new participants by providing them with novel concepts and value-adds. The result was tremendous with BITE 2007 attracting over 18,000 visitors and exhibitors from 41 countries making this expo a grand success. BITE 2007 has been successful in assisting and complementing the Government of Bahrain's efforts towards promoting and raising the benchmark of the Bahraini tourism industry.'

'Furthermore, we are very proud to say that our sponsors and exhibitors are extremely happy with the results achieved and we are all looking forward to BITE 2008. Having successfully carried out BITE 2007, we are upbeat about the next year with over 75% of the participating exhibitors at BITE 2007 having shown keen interest this time itself.' Mr Wafa added.

Gulf Air offered special 'BITE-sized deals' which were only available at the expo. In addition, Gulf Air holidays offered several all-inclusive deals for the month of May.

Turkish Airlines on the other hand offered the best bargains for six nights at Istanbul's Swissôtel and a similar package in a double room at the Titanic Resort in Antalaya. Qatar Airways Holidays' Cairo package, included return economy airfare, three nights' twin-sharing three-star accommodation with breakfast, room taxes and service charges.

Oberoi Hotels & Resorts rolled out its Exotic Vacations Summer 2007 which is, valid through September 30. Oman Air rolled out a bouquet of deals which included the Khareef breaks to Salalah (the traditional summer playground of the Arabian Peninsula)

Moreover, Cathay Pacific announced their new leisure packages to the Far East which included trips to Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Guilin, Kumming and Qingdao in China. Brunei tourism was among those that sealed deals, with groups from Belgium and Italy showing interest for fam trips in August to coincide with the Sultan of Brunei's birthday.

BITE 2007 has effectively acted as a successful medium in providing the participants with enquiries many of which are likely to turn into contracts.

One of the key highlights of BITE 2007 was the launch of the Sunshine Tours special brochure on India with the support of India Tourism Office Dubai featuring various tour options available to India from Bahrain. The brochure is aimed at creating the awareness on India's vast tourism potential, the key tourist destinations and providing special packages to those places.

The 72 page full colour brochure is a comprehensive guide in Arabic and English which offers the traveler various itineraries in different parts of India including the options for Spa and Wellness Holidays and Rail tours. Mr. Balakrishnan Shetty, Indian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain presented His Highness Shaikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Deputy of His Majesty the King of Bahrain with a special copy of this brochure.

Mr Hisham Al-Baradie, Chairman MEEM, said: 'We are proud to say that through BITE 2007, we have successfully brought the providers of holiday related services and clients exploring value for money offers under one roof. BITE has progressed positively since its inception three years ago, and we are very happy with the results of this year's show. We are confident of attracting at least 50% more visitors for BITE 2008 with a 25% increase in the floor space which will be held from May 13 to May 15, 2008.'

This year the new participants as Exhibitors or Hosted Buyers were from Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Canada, Greece, India Tourism with Jammu & Kashmir, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Monaco, Maldives, Oman, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Thailand, The Netherlands, Tunisia and the USA. apart from Australia, Bahrain, Brunei, China, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Malaysia, Qatar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom who participated at BITE in the year 2005 and 2006.

BITE 2007 was sponsored by the Bahrain Economic Development Board; Ministry of Information - Tourism Affairs; Gulf Air; Bahrain Exhibition and Convention Authority; the Board of the Five Star Hotels Owners; Ahli United Bank; Batelco; Sabre Travel Network and supported by Qatar Airways; Elite Luxury Apartments and Hotel Group; Bahrain Limo; Al Hilal Group and the Atlas Tourism & Culture TV Channel.