The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) has officially joined the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) as Destination Partner, formalising a strategic alliance aimed at elevating the Kingdom’s global tourism footprint.
The partnership was announced following Bahrain’s high-level delegation to WTTC’s 26th Global Summit in Valletta, Malta, led by Fatima bint Jaffar Al Sairafi, Minister of Tourism and Chairperson of BTEA.
While WTTC is historically renowned as the premier private-sector forum representing CEOs, hotel group leaders, airline chiefs, and tour operators worldwide, its Destination Partner tier offers national tourism boards an essential seat at the corporate decision-making table. For a destination like Bahrain, membership transitions the tourism board from external promoter to an insider partner. In practice, the move grants BTEA direct access to top private-sector corporate leaders, strategic working groups, and investor networks who drive cross-border capacity and hotel inventory. It also plugs the Kingdom directly into WTTC’s authoritative Economic Impact Research (EIR) and macroeconomic data pipelines, equipping Bahrain to benchmark its target source markets, forecast source-market arrivals, and align national policies with global sustainability and aviation corridors. The announcement aligns with Bahrain's ongoing Tourism Strategy (2022–2026).
Welcoming the authority, Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority to the World Travel & Tourism Council. It was a pleasure to have Her Excellency Minister Al Sairafi and the Bahraini delegation with us at our Global Summit in Valletta. Bahrain combines a remarkable heritage with a growing reputation for world-class events, exhibitions and hospitality, and its commitment to public-private collaboration is exactly what our sector needs. We look forward to working closely together to support Bahrain’s sustainable tourism growth and to strengthen its position on the global tourism map.”
Commenting on the membership, Fatima bint Jaffar Al Sairafi, stated: “The Kingdom of Bahrain's membership of the World Travel and Tourism Council marks a step towards strengthening our presence within the global travel and tourism industry. It opens broader opportunities to engage with industry leaders, decision-makers and international institutions, and to draw on global expertise, data and practices to support the development of the tourism sector and enhance Bahrain's competitiveness as a tourism destination.”