BELGRADE, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Exhibitors from 38 countries came to compete for the booming market of the Balkans at the 41st International Tourism Fair in Belgrade that opened on Thursday, while thousands of visitors made early bookings to check out emerging destinations.

The ministers of tourism of Serbia and guest country Bulgaria opened the fair, stressing their belief that, after a record year for the sector, business will continue to grow and contribute to the economies of the countries in the region.

Under the slogan "Summer is closer than you think", some 650 exhibitors present their latest offers, often at significantly discounted prices.

For domestic visitors, the most attractive are the early bookings in traditional summer resorts in Greece, Montenegro and Croatia, but Serbia's famous spas, mountain resorts, hiking tours and active vacations are also popular.

Guest country Bulgaria highlights its emerging tourism market, and presents its Black Sea resorts, mountains and historic cities.

Bulgarian Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova said tourism is one of the key branches of her country's economy, with around 9.3 million tourists last year.

According to the National Bank of Serbia, Serbian tourists spend a total of 1 billion U.S. dollars abroad each year. Its neighboring countries are popular destinations, along with Cuba, Indonesia and India, which are also represented at the fair. For the first time this year, the fair also features a Maldivian stall.

A landlocked country, Serbia expects to welcome 3.6 million tourists this year and expects tourism revenues to reach 1.7 billion U.S. dollars, said Rasim Ljajic, Serbian Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications.

"Tourism is not just fun and recreation, but also a significant contributor to the economic recovery of the country," he said, adding Serbia ranks 6th in Europe when it comes to growth in number of foreign tourist arrivals.

"For the first time, in 2018 we achieved an equal number of domestic and foreign tourists, and for the first time, in 2018 we exceeded the magical figure of 1.5 billion U.S. dollars of income," he said.

Mayor of Belgrade Zoran Radojicic added that around 1.4 million tourists visited the capital of Serbia last year, up 13 percent from 2017.

Chinese tourists are among the biggest contributors to Serbia's booming tourism sector.

The Statistical Office of Serbia revealed last month that the number of tourists coming from China doubled in 2018, from around 50,000 to more than 102,000.

The tourism fair is accompanied by two other events: 15th International Fair of Hotel and Catering Equipment and the 10th International Wine Fair.

An estimated 70,000 visitors will converge on Belgrade in the next four days to check out offers for destinations and attend tourism-related lectures and presentations.