The most significant tourism event in the country and the region, the 45th International Tourism Fair and the 19th International Fair of Hotel and Catering Equipment HORECA-EQUIPMENT, has met the expectations of visitors, participants, and numerous tourism professionals, and announced the entry into a new era of tourism development.
This year, the Tourism Fair and the HORECA-EQUIPMENT Fair were visited by 42,453 visitors. From the first day of the fair, there was great interest from visitors, and each day individually had more visitors than last year. Among visitors and exhibitors, there was a festival atmosphere reflecting satisfaction, inspiration, and good energy under the domes of the Belgrade Fair.
This year’s event also marks a record number of business meetings in the b2b program, with over 500 meetings held in collaboration with the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, the Belgrade Fair, and the European Entrepreneurship Network. This program attracted a large number of participants from various sectors of tourism, and the outstanding results are a strong indicator of the potential for further development of cooperation and partnerships in the tourism sector.
Under the slogan “The Adventure Begins Here!” in halls 1, 1A, 2A, 2C, and 4, the entire tourism industry, as well as novelties and trends in the tourism, hotel, and catering business, were presented and all renowned domestic and foreign participants, institutions, companies, experts, as well as a large number of interested visitors and travel enthusiasts, gathered.
The Tourism Fair featured over 400 exhibitors, including tourist agencies, organizations, and hotels from over 27 countries.
Greece, the Partner Country of this year’s Tourism Fair, attracted significant interest from visitors as the most popular market for Serbian citizens who spend summer holiday abroad.
This year, Cambodia, Ecuador, Saint Lucia, Libya participated in the fair for the first time, while the countries that returned and participated again are the islands of Indonesia, Cuba, and Sao Tome and Principe.
Popular and favorite destinations that are continuously present at the fair will be there this year as well: Turkey, Greece, Montenegro, Tunisia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Cameroon, Gabon, Namibia, and Cyprus.
A modern European trade fair with a business orientation, the Belgrade Tourism Fair remains the central annual event where development plans, valuable investments, and capital projects are presented, agreements are signed, and protocols for collaboration are established.
The 45th International Tourism Fair was ceremonially opened by the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, who highlighted strong connections between Serbia and Greece. He also spoke about the future development of Serbian tourism, investments in development and hotel capacities, as well as the key event, EXPO 2027, which changes the future of our country.
Hall 4 of the Belgrade Fair was once again the hall of Serbia, and the interest shown in domestic destinations suggests a successful tourist year ahead.
The Tourist Organization of Serbia (TOS) appeared under the slogan “Experience! SERBIA.” Special attention was devoted to the promotion of two new publications, “My Danube” and “Strongholds of Spirituality,” with the aim of showing the richness of Serbia’s diversity. With a variety of attractions, the use of virtual intelligence and new trends, and the presentation of traditional crafts through various activities, every visitor could take a memory from the Tourism Fair as a reminder of where in Serbia they could travel this year.
The Tourist Organization of Belgrade (TOB) promoted the overall tourist offer of the Serbian capital and activities offered by all 17 municipalities of Belgrade, and during the fair, a protocol of cooperation was signed with the company “EXPO 2027.”
In the pavilion of the Provincial Secretariat for Economy and Tourism in Hall 1, Vojvodina, as a tourist destination, was presented through thematic sections related to wine, food, and events held throughout the year. The “Wine Street” brought together prominent wineries and wine and grape producers from the Fruška gora wine region and other wine regions of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina.
There was a notable presence and great interest from visitors at the stand of the Tourist Organization of Zlatibor, which independently organized its fair appearance for the first time this year.
Simultaneously with the Tourism Fair in halls 2A and 2C of the Belgrade Fair, the 19th International Fair of Hotel and Catering Equipment HORECA-EQUIPMENT was held with success, reflecting the positive trend and work in the HORECA sector and the hotel and catering industry today, which is one of the most dynamic and widespread industries in the world. Under the slogan “Be my guest” the fair brought together numerous domestic and foreign companies from various fields related to hospitality activities, elevating every tourist offer to a higher level – manufacturing, distribution, and sales of hotel and catering furniture, equipment for kitchens, restaurants, and bars, as well as service activities, IT solutions, and new possibilities for more efficient operations, supply, and functioning of hospitality facilities.
This year again, interactive presentations at stands, demonstrations of hospitality skills, live ice cream and cocktail making on the most modern equipment, and product tasting, attracted attention of both, the audience and the industry professionals.
During the four days of the fair, Belgrade became the tourist center of the world and a city of cosmopolitan spirit, which, along with numerous accompanying events, promotions, presentations, and conferences, resulted in significant public attention and media coverage, with the Tourism Fair being one of the key topics. Approximately 1000 journalists from twenty countries were accredited.
At this successful major tourism fair event, we witnessed inspiring journeys, innovative ideas, and unforgettable experiences. Through the diversity of offerings and the richness of destinations, it is clear that travel has the power to connect, enrich, and inspire us.
Overall, the success of the Tourism Fair is reflected not only in the number of visitors and exhibitors but also in the depth of connections built during the event, which are a promise for the future and the next edition of the fair.
