A new agreement has set the stage for the success of this year's Bahrain International Travel Expo (BITE 2008).

A Platinum sponsorship agreement was signed between Magnum Holding founder and group chairman Jamil A Wafa and Gulf Air president and chief executive Björn Näf at Gulf Air headquarters in Muharraq.

The expo is being held at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre from May 14-17.

'Being Bahrain's national carrier, Gulf Air is proud to associate with BITE once again as we see ourselves an integral part of the kingdom's ever expanding tourism and business sectors,' said Naf.

Gulf Air will have a dedicated premium pavilion at BITE 2008, offering visitors a wide range of products and services.

'As the airline that carries the largest number of passengers in and out of Bahrain, we are encouraged by the successes of BITE for the past three years, which served as an ideal platform for the consumer and trade to check out the latest information and offers from various travel and tourism experts and providers,' said Naf.

Wafa, who is a seasoned aviation professional, said he was glad to have Gulf Air once again as the official carrier of this important event.

'We thank Gulf Air for its support for BITE, which has been growing in size and popularity over the past three years,' he said.

'The event brings together exhibitors from across the entire spectrum of the travel and tourism industry to display and promote their products and services.

'The event has proved to be an ideal venue for the region's travel trade industry as well as the end consumer to meet, network, negotiate, conduct business and stay abreast of the latest developments in the travel industry as well as showcase their products and services.'

Last year, the event attracted around 18,000 visitors from Bahrain and other GCC countries and a total of 105 exhibitors from 41 countries. 'We expect this year a further positive growth in both the international exhibitors and visitors,' said Wafa.-TradeArabia News Service