Int'l Fair of Tourism to open in Belgrade on Thursday

BELGRADE - The 37th International Fair of Tourism will bring together 1,100 exhibitors from 49 countries in Belgrade from February 19 to 22, Belgrade Fair's press office has announced.

This year's fair will be held under the slogan "Seize the Moment", and exhibitors will present their tourist offer in six halls.

The tourism fair will be declared open by Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, and the partner country of this year's fair is the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

At the fair, Serbian and UAE officials will sign a cooperation agreement in the field of tourism, as announced earlier.

Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajic has said that the agreement should help increase the number of tourists from the UAE.

Recently, there has been a 30 percent rise in the number of tourists arriving from that country, mostly thanks to 18 direct flights per week between the UAE and Serbia, as well as the visa liberalization, he said.

Besides the traditional tourist destinations for Serbian travellers, Jamaica, one of the most beautiful islands of the Caribbean, will present its offer at this year's fair for the first time.

The Svilajnac-based natural history center will for the first time take part in the tourism fair, with a specially designed stand at which visitors will have an opportunity to see replicas of several dinosaurs.

Ivana Todorov, spokesperson for the Svilajnac municipal assembly, said that the natural history center "is a mix of science, entertainment and tourism", its objective being to become a popular Serbian tourist destination.

Three events will be held alongside the tourism fair- International Fair of Hotel and Restaurant Equipment and Catering (HORECA)...