International Fair of Tourism opens in Belgrade

BELGRADE - Acting Minister of Economy Igor Mirovic opened on Thursday the International Fair of Tourism, the Trade Fair of Hotel and Catering Equipment, a souvenir fair and wine fair which will take place at the Belgrade Fair until March 2.

At the opening ceremony, Mirovic noted that in 2013 the number of foreign tourists increased by 14 percent, and according to the data of the National Bank of Serbia (NBS), a historic result was achieved - tourism-generated revenues exceeded USD 1 billion.

He voiced expectation that the tourism fair will open up new investment opportunities, and that business contacts made during the fair will yield new contracts and deals.

Serbian Parliament Speaker Nebojsa Stefanovic noted that the efforts that Serbia and Belgrade have been investing in making tourism a strong factor of economic growth have been recognized in the region and across the globe.

Serbia is becoming a place with an improving living standard, but not all problems have been resolved, Stefanovic said, voicing confidence that the projects such as "Belgrade on Water" will help increase Serbia's appeal among investors.

This year's International Fair of Tourism will bring together over 1,000 exhibitors from 54 countries across the world.

The partner country of this year's tourism fair is Indonesia and, besides the states that traditionally promote their destinations at the Belgrade Tourism Fair, this year travel buffs will have an opportunity to consider offers from Argentina, Algeria, Albania, the UAE - Abu Dhabi, Malaysia, Iran, India, Portugal and Romania.

This year, the Tourism Organization of Serbia (TOS) wants to attract young tourists, so it will promote a campaign titled "Lifestyle Serbia"...