International Tourism Fair opened in Belgrade

The International Tourism Fair, which gathers 850 exhibitors from 41 countries, was opened today (February 24, 2010) in Belgrade.

Opening the Fair, which will last until February 28th, the Minister of Economy, Mlađan Dinkić, said that tourism was the way for spreading friendships among nations and the chance for the citizens to spend their vacations actively and meet other countries.

He said that, in spite of the crisis, Serbia did not register drop in number of foreign tourists last year and added that Serbia had even bigger potentials that should be used.

- The arrival of low-cost airliners in Serbia will also contribute to the growth of number of tourists - said the Minister of Economy.

According to his words, Serbia is attractive for shorter vacation in cities, but it also has much to offer when it comes to tourism on the Danube, as well as cultural-historical heritage.

Dinkić added that the most attractive tour in Serbia's offer was the Roman Emperors Route and that tourists in Serbia can also visit spa resorts or take the "wine" tours.

The Vice President of the World Tourism Organization, Zoltan Šomođi, said that the last year was very difficult for tourism due to global economic crisis.

He said that, according to the data provided by that organization, there were 880m tourists in the world in 2009 and that the number of tourist visits had dropped by 4%.

Šomođi said that the recovery and growth of tourist visits of 3 to 4% was expected in 2010.

He estimated that Serbia, as tourist destination, made significant progress over the past few years.

The Fair will be opened between 10 AM and 6 PM on February 24, 25 and 28, and between 10 AM and 7 PM on February 26 and 27.

The price of individual tickets is 300 RSD, the group visits cost 200 RSD per person, while the price of parking amounts to 100 RSD per hour.