Bahrain News Agency: Manama named World’s Leading Business Travel Destination at World Travel Awards 2025

Manama was named the World’s Leading Business Travel Destination at the prestigious World Travel Awards Grand Final 2025, held at Exhibition World Bahrain, attended by 300 figures from the tourism sector from inside and outside the Kingdom of Bahrain, making it one of the most diverse editions in the history of the awards. A total of 120 winners were honoured, including 110 international and 10 from Bahrain.

Exhibition World Bahrain won four awards at the ceremony, confirming its success in consolidating its role in attracting major international events, in line with the 2022–2026 Tourism Strategy. It received Bahrain’s Best Convention Centre, the Middle East’s Best MICE Event Venue, as well as global recognition as the World’s Leading Large-Scale Wedding Venue and World’s Leading MICE Event Venue. The national carrier, Gulf Air, was also awarded for Outstanding Contribution to the Airline Industry, in recognition of its vital role in enhancing the Kingdom’s air connectivity.

Other winners included Charthouse Bahrain for World’s Leading Boutique Hotel, Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea and Spa for World’s Leading City Resort, Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay for World’s Leading Family Hotel, the Royal Penthouse at Conrad Bahrain for World’s Leading Hotel Penthouse, Jumeirah Gulf of Bahrain Resort and Spa for World’s Leading Luxury Island Resort, Raffles Al Areen Palace Bahrain for World’s Leading Palace Hotel, and The Ritz Carlton, Bahrain for World’s Leading Wedding Hotel, reflecting the diversity of the Kingdom’s hospitality sector and the level of excellence it offers.

Fatima bint Jaafar Al Sairafi, Minister of Tourism and Chairperson of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), said that hosting the ceremony in the Kingdom is the result of efforts since the launch of the 2022–2026 Tourism Strategy. She noted that Manama being named World’s Leading Business Travel Destination reflects BTEA’s work to enhance Bahrain’s presence in the MICE market and that these achievements demonstrate the strength of Bahrain’s tourism ecosystem in collaboration with its partners.

She also highlighted the importance of hosting the ceremony and winning this number of awards in showcasing the development of the tourism and business travel sectors in the Kingdom, as well as presenting Bahrain’s tourism features, including heritage, hospitality, and advanced infrastructure, to visitors from around the world.

On his part, Graham Cooke, Founder of the World Travel Awards, commended the Kingdom for hosting the ceremony and congratulated the winners, saying: "Bahrain delivered a memorable setting for this year’s Grand Final, bringing together leading names from across the global travel industry. We congratulate all the winners on their achievements and the innovation they continue to contribute to our sector. The Grand Final remains an important moment to acknowledge excellence worldwide, and we are pleased to have celebrated this year’s milestones with our partners in the Kingdom."

The World Travel Awards, launched in 1993, are a prestigious international benchmark for excellence and quality in the global tourism sector. Bahrain’s successful hosting of the 2025 Grand Final, along with its distinguished collection of awards in aviation, hospitality, and business travel, confirms the Kingdom’s established position as a preferred global destination for tourism, business, and major international event