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Luxury travel buyers visited Bahrain, combining business meetings and cultural tours to strengthen the Kingdom’s growing luxury tourism market.
A large number of Europe’s luxury travel buyers assembled in Manama during the fourth Explore Bahrain with Connections event held from 7 to 10 February 2026. In order to conduct business meetings and experience the culture. The events were held at Conrad Bahrain Financial Harbour, The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain and Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea & Spa. As such, Bahrain is positioning itself as a luxury travel destination in the Middle East.
Delegates at the event consisted of 70 from ten different nationalities, made up of 35 luxury travel designers and 35 leading hotels, resorts and experience providers. A total of 439 one-on-one meetings were held using the Connections Way format. This was developed with the aim to strengthen partnerships in the high-end experiential travel market. Along with other meetings, delegates also got to experience the Bahraini culture through 17 different curated activities. Activities included oyster shucking, pearl finding and traditional basket weaving and all reflected Bahrain's position as an exceptionally strong provider of authentic cultural luxury experiences within the Gulf region. The delegates also visited a number of significant landmarks in Bahrain, like the Unesco-listed Qal’at Al Bahrain, the Bahrain National Museum, the Al Fateh Grand Mosque and Danat Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gemstones.
Site inspections of Raffles Bahrain and Four Seasons Bahrain Bay also showcased the great levels of ultra-luxury hospitality in Bahrain. Bahrain’s Minister of Tourism, Her Excellency Fatima bint Jaafar Al Sairafi, outlined that Bahrain has a target of attracting 14.1 million visitors, and that tourism is expected to contribute 11.4% of Bahrain’s GDP in the coming years. With Manama being awarded the World’s Leading Business Travel Destination, and major events such as Formula 1 providing global awareness of Bahrain, the country is continuously working towards expanding its position in the marketplace for luxury MSS travel experiences around the Middle East.
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