18 May 2008
Bahrain International Travel Expo (BITE 2008) concluded yesterday at the BIEC on a positive note with hopes of having even a bigger show in 2009.
In the backdrop of record deals secured by exhibitors this year, almost 45 per cent of the proposed space of 8,000 square metres for BITE 2009 has been booked by the exhibitors in the last three days, the organisers claimed.
Magnum Events and Exhibitions Management (MEEM), the official organisers of the event, at the close of the expo said that around 17,000 visitors visited the expo this year.
Hisham Al Baradie Group Chief Executive Unitag and MEEM said: "BITE has emerged as a big success this year with larger participation from the companies, hosted buyers, airlines, travel agents and leading tourism boards from various countries."
Hisham said: "The group of 100 hosted buyers will pave the way to promote Bahrain as an emerging meeting, incentives, conference and exhibition (MICE) destination in the region. These professionals have directly dealt with the sellers like airlines, tourism boards, travel agents etc making this year's event more interactive and result-orientred."
This year's main feature was the huge presence of the airlines making this expo lively as they had sold thousands of hot deals. Most of airlines like Etihad, Turkish Airline, Bahrain Air, Jet Airways, Tunis Air, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways and number of prominent tourism boards from across the world also showed keen interest to participate in next show. This year 150 exhibitors from 44 countries showcased their products and services at the event.
BITE opened to public and trade from Thursday onwards and recorded a strong weekend crowd. Approx 5,000 visitors thronged the venue during the opening day while till Friday, the figure had surpassed 10,000.
This edition of BITE had been scheduled from Thursday to Saturday to provide the convenience of the weekend, thus making it more consumer-friendly. It opened to the consumers and visitors from May 15 to May 17. Held under the patronage of Shaikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Chairman of the Economic Development Board, BITE 2008 has become a regular feature of the calendar year.
Jamil Wafa, Group Chairman of Magnum Holdings, the parent company of Magnum Events and Exhibitions Management MEEM, the organizers of BITE 2008, said: "I am very delighted with the response received from the exhibitors as well as the visitors. Exhibitors are excited and thrilled with the consumer's participation. In fact, some of them have already booked for the fifth edition, to be held from 14-16 May 2009 by doubling their space.
Wafa, reiterated that besides the positive reviews, he was not adverse to negative feedback. "In fact, this will help us enhance on future exhibitions through constructive feedback from visitors and exhibitors, alike."
Wafa 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. We look forward to their participation next year. Similarly, Gulf Air, which had allotted certain number of tickets exclusively for BITE, sold out completely. I was surprised and very happy to see the first time participant Jet Airways stand always crowded. I am sure everybody i.e. the exhibitors and the consumers, profited from this expo in terms of exposure and transactions undertaken."
BITE is the first Business-to-Consumer travel and tourism event in the region.
Bahrain International Travel Expo (BITE 2008) concluded yesterday at the BIEC on a positive note with hopes of having even a bigger show in 2009.
In the backdrop of record deals secured by exhibitors this year, almost 45 per cent of the proposed space of 8,000 square metres for BITE 2009 has been booked by the exhibitors in the last three days, the organisers claimed.
Magnum Events and Exhibitions Management (MEEM), the official organisers of the event, at the close of the expo said that around 17,000 visitors visited the expo this year.
Hisham Al Baradie Group Chief Executive Unitag and MEEM said: "BITE has emerged as a big success this year with larger participation from the companies, hosted buyers, airlines, travel agents and leading tourism boards from various countries."
Hisham said: "The group of 100 hosted buyers will pave the way to promote Bahrain as an emerging meeting, incentives, conference and exhibition (MICE) destination in the region. These professionals have directly dealt with the sellers like airlines, tourism boards, travel agents etc making this year's event more interactive and result-orientred."
This year's main feature was the huge presence of the airlines making this expo lively as they had sold thousands of hot deals. Most of airlines like Etihad, Turkish Airline, Bahrain Air, Jet Airways, Tunis Air, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways and number of prominent tourism boards from across the world also showed keen interest to participate in next show. This year 150 exhibitors from 44 countries showcased their products and services at the event.
BITE opened to public and trade from Thursday onwards and recorded a strong weekend crowd. Approx 5,000 visitors thronged the venue during the opening day while till Friday, the figure had surpassed 10,000.
This edition of BITE had been scheduled from Thursday to Saturday to provide the convenience of the weekend, thus making it more consumer-friendly. It opened to the consumers and visitors from May 15 to May 17. Held under the patronage of Shaikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Chairman of the Economic Development Board, BITE 2008 has become a regular feature of the calendar year.
Jamil Wafa, Group Chairman of Magnum Holdings, the parent company of Magnum Events and Exhibitions Management MEEM, the organizers of BITE 2008, said: "I am very delighted with the response received from the exhibitors as well as the visitors. Exhibitors are excited and thrilled with the consumer's participation. In fact, some of them have already booked for the fifth edition, to be held from 14-16 May 2009 by doubling their space.
Wafa, reiterated that besides the positive reviews, he was not adverse to negative feedback. "In fact, this will help us enhance on future exhibitions through constructive feedback from visitors and exhibitors, alike."
Wafa 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. We look forward to their participation next year. Similarly, Gulf Air, which had allotted certain number of tickets exclusively for BITE, sold out completely. I was surprised and very happy to see the first time participant Jet Airways stand always crowded. I am sure everybody i.e. the exhibitors and the consumers, profited from this expo in terms of exposure and transactions undertaken."
BITE is the first Business-to-Consumer travel and tourism event in the region.
© Bahrain Tribune 2008
