33rd International Tourism Fair opens in Belgrade

The 33rd International Tourism Fair, the 2nd Wine Fair and small Souvenir Exhibition were opened today at the Belgrade Trade Fair and will be closed on Sunday, February 27.

At the opening ceremony, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development Goran Petkovic said it was the right place to promote regional cooperation, particularly via the Danube.

The Ministry and the Tourism Organization of Serbia (TOS) will present travel arrangements and winter centers in Serbia at the fair, while this year's country-partner is Croatia.

State Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism of Croatia Ivo Mujo expressed a belief that the partnership at the fair would help close the gap between the tourism sectors and economies of the two countries.

- One of our aims is to introduce new flights so that Croatian coast will be only about 50 minutes of flying away from Belgrade - he said and pointed out that Croatia found guests from Serbia very important.

He added that the number of Croatian tourists in Serbia was growing and that the two countries should work together on international tourist projects.

President of the European Travel Commission Petra Hedorfer said that 2010 had seen a 6.7% increase in passenger traffic in the world with 935 million trips, the highest number ever recorded.

A part of the Tourism Fair for the second year in a row is the Wine Fair, at which the Ministry of Economy will present the tour Serbian Wine Routes, while TOS will present the Map of Serbian Wine Routes.

A total of 105 wine makers from ten countries will be exhibiting at this fair, including the companies from Italy, France, Spain, Slovenia, Croatia, Argentina. Special promotions for this year's Tourism Fair in Belgrade have been announced by Indonesia, Cuba, Turkey, and Spain.

TOS will also have 50 foreign business guests at this year's 33rd Tourism Fair.

The fair will be open until 6 PM today, between 10 AM and 7 PM on Friday and Saturday, and until 5 PM on Sunday. The price of individual ticket is RSD 300, while group tickets cost RSD 200 per person.