Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority

What Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority does

Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) is a government state entity established in 2015 under the Kingdom of Bahrain and headquartered in Sanabis, Manama, mandated to regulate, license, and promote Bahrain's tourism sector. The authority operates as the sole regulator for tourism establishments including hotels, furnished tourist apartments, tourism restaurants, tour operators, and tourism guides, and is responsible for collecting the 5% tourism levy and BHD 3 per-night accommodation fee. BTEA also licenses exhibitions, conferences, and festivals, and supports event organizers through permit issuance at licensed venues.

BTEA delivers its mandate through two core digital products. The BTEA E-Services Portal (portal.btea.bh) provides 17+ self-serve services for tourism businesses, including license renewal, levy payment, financial audit submission, property classification and inspection, artist permits, exhibition licensing, complaint handling, and violation settlement, all authenticated via Bahrain's national eKey and eKey 2.0 infrastructure and integrated with the Tawasul citizen services and Sijilat business registration portals. The Visit Bahrain mobile app, available on iOS and Android, serves inbound tourists with destination content covering accommodations, activities, dining, shopping, and events, while supporting platforms include bahrain.com, calendar.bh, and bahrainislandwedding.com.

Commercially, BTEA earns revenue from multiple transactional and licensing streams: a 5% levy on hotel and tourism restaurant revenues submitted quarterly, a BHD 3 per-night hotel guest fee, BD 5 per-artist performance permits, annual tourism license renewals tiered by establishment type, and one-time exhibition/conference permit fees. The authority reports to the Bahraini government and serves three primary segments: licensed tourism establishments (B2B), inbound international and domestic tourists (B2C), and exhibition/conference organizers. Under CEO Sara Buhiji, BTEA employs 51-100 staff and has been actively defending the sector through fee deferrals and counter-cyclical event investments following the 2025 occupancy shock caused by regional conflict.

Name

Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority

Legal name

Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority

Website

https://btea.bh

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority is a Bahraini government entity that regulates and promotes the tourism sector through licensing, levy collection, and digital service platforms serving tourism businesses and visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tourism Authority and Destination Marketing

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Licensing & Permitting Authorities (General) (BPAIAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD), Travel Policy Design, Governance & Compliance (THACAMAB)

Keywords

• Tourism authority services
• Tourism licensing
• Destination marketing
• Exhibition licensing
• Visitor information

Headquarters

HQ city

Sanabis

HQ country

Bahrain

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tourism Levy Collection: Collection of 5% tourism levy on hotels and tourism restaurants through the online system, facilitating quarterly declarations and financial monitoring
2. Accommodation Fee: BHD 3 per night accommodation fee charged to hotel guests
3. Artist Permission Fees: BD 5 per artist permit fee for artists performing at tourism establishments
4. Tourism License Fees: License and renewal fees for hotels, restaurants, tour operators, and other tourism establishments based on establishment type
5. Exhibition/Conference Licensing: Permit fees for organizing exhibitions and conferences at licensed tourism venues

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) is the government regulator and national tourism authority for the Kingdom of Bahrain. It issues and renews licenses for tourism establishments (hotels, restaurants, tour operators, furnished apartments), collects tourism levies, conducts property inspections, and issues exhibition and conference permits. BTEA also promotes Bahrain as a destination to international and domestic visitors through bahrain.com, the Visit Bahrain mobile application, and branded event platforms.

Product overview

The Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) operates a dual offering: (1) the BTEA E-Services Portal, a web-based platform providing regulatory and administrative services for tourism businesses including license renewals, levy payments, property management, and inspections; and (2) the Visit Bahrain App, a mobile application serving tourists with destination information including accommodations, activities, dining, shopping, and events. The E-Services portal serves as the primary business-facing platform while the mobile app targets visitor-facing experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BTEA E-Services Portal A comprehensive web-based portal providing online services to facilitate tourism-related regulatory processes in Bahrain, including license renewal, levy payment, audit report submission, property updates, inspection classification, artist permission, violation settlement, exhibition/conference licensing, tour guide registration, and complaint submission for hotels, restaurants, tour guides, and other tourism establishments.
• Visit Bahrain Mobile App A mobile application for exploring Bahrain as a tourist destination, featuring information on accommodations, activities, places to visit, dining, shopping, and events including family activities and business exhibitions. Available on Google Play and the Apple App Store.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60 collector cars and 200+ members' cars showcased at inaugural Royal Bahrain Concours

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bahrain Kuwait Insurance Company (GIG Bahrain)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 February 2026GIG Bahrain serves as an Official Partner for the Royal Bahrain Concours 2026 edition, scheduled for November 6-7 at the Royal Golf Club. This partnership marks the second edition of the premier GCC Concours d'Elegance, following a successful inaugural event that showcased 60 collector cars and over 200 members' cars from regional car clubs.
• Thorough EventscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThorough Events organizes the Royal Bahrain Concours in partnership with BTEA, managing the premier automotive heritage event in the GCC region.
• Royal Golf Club BahrainminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner hosting the Royal Bahrain Concours 2026 at their golf club facilities in Bahrain.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Brand USA: Public-private destination-marketing organization promoting inbound tourism - structurally analogous to the destination-marketing component of BTEA's mandate (Visit Bahrain App + bahrain.com), though US-based and promotion-only.
• Singapore Tourism Board: Statutory board under Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry with regulatory and destination-marketing functions - structurally comparable as a small-state, government-run tourism authority with strong digital infrastructure, similar to BTEA.
• Egyptian General Authority for Tourism Promotion: National tourism promotion authority operating destination marketing and licensing support in a heritage-rich MENA market - comparable tourism authority model with strong cultural-heritage anchor, similar positioning logic to BTEA.
• Tourism Authority of Thailand: National tourism authority with destination-marketing, licensing oversight, and digital tourism platform responsibilities - a scaled global equivalent of BTEA's mandate (and its consumer-facing app), but at much larger national scale.

Direct peers

• Visit Qatar: Qatar's national tourism body executing destination marketing, event hosting, and licensing coordination - directly comparable to BTEA's mandate, also a small GCC state with heritage + modern positioning.
• Saudi Tourism Authority: National tourism authority for Saudi Arabia responsible for destination branding, licensing frameworks, and events - analogous state-entity model to BTEA, operating in the same Gulf tourism corridor and competing for the same visitor pool.
• Ministry of Heritage and Tourism - Oman: Oman's tourism regulator and promoter covering heritage sites, licensing of tourism establishments, and destination marketing - same regulatory-plus-promotion dual mandate as BTEA in another Gulf state.
• Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi: Government tourism authority with regulatory and destination-marketing mandate for Abu Dhabi - same structural model of tourism licensing, levy collection, and destination promotion in a GCC market, directly comparable to BTEA's role in Bahrain.
• Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing: Government tourism authority overseeing Dubai's tourism licensing, classification, and global destination marketing - directly comparable functions to BTEA's licensing, levies, and Visit Bahrain destination-promotion app.

Regional players

• Kuwait Authority for Tourism (Ministry of Information): Tourism promotion/oversight function under Kuwaiti government for a GCC neighbor - comparable regional tourism authority structurally adjacent to Bahrain, smaller-scope and earlier-stage relative to BTEA's fully built digital portal.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bahrain-tourism-exhibitions-authority

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority