BELGRADE - For the first time, China took part in the Belgrade International Tourism Fair that opened on Thursday.

Serbian officials and tour operators saw this as another signal - along with visa liberalization and possible direct flights - that the number of Chinese tourists to Serbia may soon increase notably.

The annual fair took place from Feb 23 to 26, with 1,100 exhibitors, local, regional and international tour operators, tourism associations, hotels and airline companies from 56 countries participating.