REPORT – BITE 2006 – BAHRAIN: New developments and new projects in the city of pearl. A construction fever is everywhere in Bahrain and in the near future may fill its expectations and be an…
REPORT – BITE 2006 – BAHRAIN: New developments and new projects in the city of pearl. A construction fever is everywhere in Bahrain and in the near future may fill its expectations and be an attractive destination in the region. Middle East’s tourism and travel industry is growing fast and small countries but with strong economies like Bahrain will be in position to have a share in the tourism pie of the region. Dubai’s unprecedented tourism growth has motivated many countries in the region such as Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to create the infrastructure basis in order to attract more tourists and business travelers in their countries.
Especially, Bahrain looks future with a different perspective as oil is running out and more and more money are invested in making Bahrain an equal destination as Dubai is today and to set foot in Middle East’s tourism market.
TravelDailyNews International attended the second edition of Bahrain International Travel Expo (BITE 2006) which took place between 9th and 11th of May and it was a good opportunity for the Kingdom of Bahrain to showcase itself. Numerous projects are underway such as Bahrain Financial Harbor and World Trade Center and many hosted buyers from Europe had the chance to see the new face of the Bahrain’s capital, Manama. Feelings are ambiguous whether the country can stand up to as a leisure destination or to be strictly for business giving more opportunities for the MICE industry.
The outcome of BITE 2006 left promises for the future as the participation from both local and international companies, destinations and tourism boards was even bigger. New for BITE this year was the hosted buyer programme with delegates from Germany, United Kingdom, Greece and India. This initiative indicates the willingness of the organizers to have a more global oriented exhibition. It is obvious that all tourism-related authorities as well as the government of Bahrain have turned to the tourism industry as the Crowne Prince of Bahrain H.H. Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa announced the establishment of an independent tourism development board as soon as the law related to its formation is approved by parliament.
During the exhibition an interesting seminar was held by Joyce Dogniez, Manager of European Chapter Relations and Development, MPI. Mrs. Dogniez, explained in sort what Bahrain should do in order to create MICE opportunities in a more advanced and professional level. When Mrs. Dogniez asked about Bahrain’s future in the tourism & travel industry she said that Bahrain’s future is optimistic but there are a lot more to be done.
Bahrain and Malaysia strengthened their ties as Tourism Malaysia the official tourism authority of Malaysia hosted a gala dinner for the exhibitors and the hosted buyers in order to attract tourists and business travelers from Bahrain. Mrs Datin Dalilah Ahmad, Deputy Director General II of Tourism Malaysia officially launched Visit Malaysia 2007 tourism campaign as a try to enter more dynamic to Bahrain’s tourism market.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
