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THOUSANDS of people flocked to this year's BITE to find out the latest travel holiday destinations and packages available from Bahrain.
Organisers MEEM (Magnum Events & Exhibitions Management) said they were delighted with the response to the expo which was open to visitors at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre in Sanabis over three days.
Around 5,000 visitors thronged the venue during Thursday and on Friday the figure had already surpassed 10,000 rising up to an estimated 20,000 at the end of Saturday.
BITE was officially opened by the Minister of Information, Jehad bin Hassan Bu Kamal last Wednesday evening.
There were traditional dance performances by artists from Azerbaijan, Ethopia, Italy and Syria at regular intervals. Another popular attraction during the event was a prize raffle.
Baraa Abdulla Mohamed, cultural affairs specialist assistant, at the Embassy of Japan in Bahrain, said: "This is the first time we have taken part and it gave us the chance to promote the country and clear some misconceptions that Japan was an expensive destination.
"We were able to inform visitors about the best and most affordable way to visit Japan."
Visitor Saleh A Hamadah from Saudi Arabia visited BITE for the second year with his family and said: "We're here looking for some holiday packages. Last year we enjoyed breaks in Tunisia and Turkey and this year there were even more destinations on offer!"
Sowmya Yedla, from Adliya, was holiday destination-hunting too for a family summer vacation. She said: "This is our first visit to BITE and we've found it very helpful, picking up brochures and ideas about places to visit as well as details about flights and special packages available."
Exhibitor, Aliycva Zohra, representing the ministry of culture and tourism from Azerbaijan, said: "We are very similar in many ways of culture, hospitality and religion and we hope to welcome many visitors from Bahrain this summer."
Jamil Wafa, group chairman of Magnum Holdings, the parent company of MEEM, said: "First time participant Etihad Airways managed to get a lot of 'on the spot' bookings for different destinations, thanks to the upcoming holiday season and we look forward to their participation next year. Similarly, Gulf Air, who had allotted a certain number of tickets exclusively for BITE, sold out completely, while Delta Airways did extremely well.
"I was surprised and very happy to see the first time participant Jet Airways stand always crowded."
The event showcased current travel trends, projects and new emerging destinations around the world, and first time participating countries included the United Arab Emirates, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ethiopia, Hungary, Indonesia, Japan, Morocco, Oman, Spain, Tunisia and Sweden.
Previous participants returning to the expo were Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belgium, Brunei, China, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Kuwait, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, The Netherlands, Turkey, UK and the US.
Mr Wafa added: "I am very delighted with the response received from the exhibitors as well as the visitors. Exhibitors were excited and thrilled with the consumers' participation. In fact, some of them have already booked for the fifth edition, to be held from May 14-16, 2009, by doubling their space."
Around 35 per cent of the BITE 2009 exhibition space has already been reserved.
