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Undaunted by the cdsis causeddue to the global recession in thetravel industry， Bahrain InternationalTravel Expo BITE 2009 the firstBusiness to Consumers (B2C)Travel and Tourism event in theregion， is all set to open for the 5thsuccessful year from 14th to 16thMay 2009 under the patronage ofHis Highness Shaikh Salman BinHamad A1 Khalifa Crown Princeand Chairman Bahrain EconomicDevelopment Board.

Magnum Events andExhibitions Management - MEEMthe organizers of BITE admits thatit's hard to match the record numberof exhibitors and quality hostedbuyers that the show received lastyear. But the show must go on，says Jamil Wafa， founder and groupchairman， Magnum Holding， theparent company of MEEM.

\"BITE is a commitment wehave made to Bahrain and to theCrown Prince His Highness ShaikhSalman bin Hamad AI Khalifa， whosupported the exhibition since itsinception. We will continue with ourpromise and commitment despitethe challenges，\" said Wafa

BITE offers the ideal forumfor the coming together of reputedand international operators froma cross section of travel relatedbusinesses from Airlines， CarRental Companies， Conventions Exhibitions， Cruise Lines，Health Resorts Spas， HotelAccommodation Providers， MedicalTourism， MICE Organizers， TouristAttractions， Tourism Boards， TourOperators， Travel Insurance Travel and Tourism Publicationsto interact with around 20，000consumers and international MICEbuyers under one roof.

There are many culturalsurprises and attractions plannedfor the BITE stage extravaganza.Numerous exhibitors from the worldhave prepared special activitiesincluding national dancers， singers，musicians and performers as part ofthe cultural treat at this year's show.Additionally BITE 2009 is a greatopportunity for travelers to discovera wide range of promotions andspecial deals that exhibitors have onoffer for those consumers planninga vacation. BITE is the ideal placefor visitors to obtain the latestinformation about the travel andtourism industry trends and bookholiday packages customized to suittheir specific budgets and needs.

In a bid to promote tourismto Bahrain， BITE is for the fourthconsecutive year， organizing theHosted Buyers Program. Thisprogram runs from the 13th to the16th May 2009， for key internationalMICE (Meetings， Incentives，Conferences and Exhibitions)planners. All the professionalsinvited to the Hosted BuyersProgram are responsible forplanning， organizing， recommendingand making financial decisions fortheir international MICE eventsoutside their home countries.

The comprehensive destinationprogram includes one-on-onemeetings between buyers andsellers at the travel show and agolden opportunity to showcaseBahrain's renowned Arabianhospitality and delights. The HostedBuyers will experience first hand theexcellent conference and hospitalityfacilities Bahrain has to offer， checkout the facilities at the BahrainInternational Circuit， the Royal GolfClub and visit the various culturaland historical attractions in theKingdom. A number of Bahrain'sfinest properties， such as The RitzCarlton Bahrain Resort and Spa，The Banyan Tree， Coral Beach，Caramel Cafe and Elite Resort Spa will be hosting the HostedBuyers for lunches and dinnersduring their visit.

BITE has grown over the pastfive years from a show in 2005 with14 countries， 40 exhibitors， 1100sqm area and 12，500 visitors to44 countries， 120 exhibitors， 8000sqm space and 18000 visitors in2008. We expect to have around100 exhibitors from approximately40 countries to be part of BITE 2009occupying an area of 6500 sqm.

The Platinum Sponsors areBahrain Economic DevelopmentBoard (EDB) along with EtihadAirways. Qatar Airways the GoldSponsor and Gulf Air are theofficial carrier. BITE is activelysupported by the Ministry of Cultureand Information， the CapitalGovernorate and Bahrain Exhibitionand Convention Authority. EliteHospitality are the Official Hotel，Voice FM the Official Radio Channeland AI Hilal Group the MediaPartners.