Bahrain's travel trade community gathered for a special event to celebrate Middle East Computer Services' (Mecos) distributor agreement with Travelport GDS, operator of the Galileo brand.

Mecos, a division of the Al Safar Group, is currently Galileo's sub-distributor in Bahrain.

The celebration held at the InterContinental Regency Bahrain last night marked the official launch of a direct distributor relationship between the two organisations.

'Galileo is the leading GDS system in the region, and we are excited to partner with Travelport to serve travel agents and suppliers who rely on the efficiency of Galileo,' said Mecos and Al Safar Group chairman Adel A Alsafar.

'We look forward to a long and successful partnership and to rolling out new and innovative products.'

Over the past 17 years, Galileo has established itself as the leading GDS provider in the Middle East, with local distributor agreements in Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen.

Most recently, Travelport has set up a new, highly efficient direct support network for travel agents in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt and redefined its distributor relationship in selected countries, including Bahrain.

'With a 10-year track record and unrivalled knowledge of the Bahraini travel market, Mecos is uniquely qualified to help us to serve our Bahrain customers more efficiently,' Travelport GDS Middle East vice-president Rabih Al Saab.

'The Middle East is a dynamic region for travel and one which will continue to grow considerably over the coming years.

'We firmly believe that by enhancing our relationships with effective distributors in select markets such as Bahrain, we will be well positioned to augment our business in this important region.'-TradeArabia News Service