THE Bahrain International Travel Expo (BITE) 2009 is well established on the international travel exhibition map, and will be held here for the 5th consecutive year from May 14 to 16 at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre.
It will again be held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Chairman of the Bahrain Economic Development Board.
The expo provides a platform to promote Bahrain and various tourism related projects coming up in the Kingdom over the next five years. It also gives an opportunity to many Bahraini youths planning to join the Travel and Tourism Trade to have an insight into this growing industry.
Debbie Stanford Kristiansen, acting CEO Bahrain Exhibition & Convention Authority and also head of the executive committee formed by organisers Magnum Events and Exhibitions Management (MEEM) to manage and recommend how the show can be taken forward, said that the focus was to be on strengthening the brand and positioning the show in the luxury sector for the Middle East.
BITE has established a presence at World Travel Market in London, EIBTM in Barcelona and at ILTM in Cannes.
Natasha Ridley project manager MEEM, said that this year’s event has attracted 150 exhibitors and 125 MICE specialists and international media from around 50 countries.
Show dates and show hours are as follows: Thursday May 14 is for hosted buyers only from 10 am to 4 pm, then it opens to the public from 5 pm to 8 pm. On Friday May 15 the show is open to the public from 3 pm to 9 pm, and on Saturday May 16 it is open to the public from 10 am to12.30 pm and 3 pm to 9 pm.