The Bahrain International Travel Expo – BITE 2007 will be held from May 8 to 10 at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre.

BITE is an international travel expo organised by Magnum Events and Exhibitions Management (MEEM) which showcases current travel trends and projects new emerging destinations around the world.
This will be the third consecutive year of BITE and will be held under the under the auspices of His Highness Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force.
Jamil A Wafa, group chairman of Magnum Holdings, the parent company of MEEM, said: “Through BITE, we aim to continue bringing the providers of holiday-related services and clients exploring value for money offers under one roof.
“BITE serves as an effective catalyst to strengthen the rapidly growing tourism industry in Bahrain and the overall region by offering innovative ideas and exciting destinations to existing clients, while endeavouring to develop a host of new clientele.
“BITE 2007 will showcase current travel trends, project new emerging destinations around the world and share significant travel and tourism landmarks amongst other industry developments.”
Participants for BITE 2007 include Austria, Azerbaijan, Canada, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Monaco, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, The Netherlands, Tunisia and the US.
The previous years’ participants included Australia, Bahrain, Brunei, China, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Qatar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
“BITE is a gathering of the right company, meeting the right people at the right time and a place where great minds meet. BITE is not just about one man or one firm. It is about the kingdom as a whole. BITE is Bahrain,” Mr Wafa said.
BITE offers an ideal platform for exhibitors across the entire spectrum of the travel industry related services towards displaying and promoting their products and services. These include airlines, car rental companies, cruise lines, health resorts and spas, hotel and accommodation providers, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) organisers, medical tourism, tourist attractions, tourism boards and tour operators.
One of the key highlights of BITE 2007 will be the “Study Abroad” Segment.
This initiative aims to offer an opportunity for students from Bahrain and the region to explore various career options for their future education.
Another highlight of BITE 2007 will be the publication of a BITE Daily Bulletin through a special edition in association with TTN – Travel and Tourism News, the travel publication of the Al Hilal Group at the Expo. This special publication is aimed at updating consumers on the various developments and activities as well as the latest offers.
Hisham Al Baradie, chairman MEEM, said, “We are truly excited about BITE 2007, a unique and pioneering annual Business to Consumer (B 2 C) event, considering the response we have received in the last two years which was extremely positive.
“Based on last year’s success and for the second year, we will be once again hosting a programme for 90 key International MICE buyers and leading international travel publications. To cater to these higher numbers of participants and expected visitors we have increased the gross exhibition area to 6,500 sqm as opposed to last year’s 4,900 sq m,” Mr Al Baradie added.
Last year, BITE saw the participation of 81 companies from 27 countries and a turn out of 16,800 visitors from the GCC countries. This year, over 20,000 regional and global visitors from 38 countries are expected.
BITE 2007 will be open from 4pm to 9pm on May 8 and from 10am to 12.30pm and from 4pm to 9pm on May 9 and 10. Admission is free with daily raffle draws. For more information on the BITE, log on to www.bitebahrain.com.
l Don’t miss the GulfWeekly’s special travel feature on the exhibitors at the Bahrain International Travel Expo (BITE) on Wednesday, May 9. Order your copy now!

Shilpa Chandran