Business: Belgrade hosts International Tourism Fair
26/02/2010
A tourism fair in Belgrade attracts exhibitors from around the world. Also in business news: Greece announces a merger of two big air companies, and a Danube Centre for Competence is launched in Belgrade.
 The International Tourism Fair is under way in Belgrade. [Getty Images] |
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Mladjan Dinkic opened Belgrade's International Tourism Fair on Wednesday (February 24th). The event, which ends Sunday, gathered 850 exhibitors from 41 countries. For the first time, tourist agencies from the United States and Spain took part.
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Greece's two biggest air companies, Olympic Air and Aegean Airlines, announced on Monday (February 22nd) that they will merge. The deal is subject to approval by EU regulatory authorities, which may take several months, says Marfin Investment Group, the owner of Olympic Air. The new company will become operational in October at the earliest.
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A Danube Centre for Competence opened on Tuesday (February 23rd) in Belgrade. The regional institution -- founded by Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Moldova -- aims to promote the tourism potential of the Danube River and the economic development of the region.
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The European Commission Liaison Office to Kosovo launched a 1m-euro project in support of the Kosovo Civil Aviation Authority on Monday (February 22nd). The two-year project should help Kosovo aviation implement EU safety standards.
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Low-cost air carriers Spanair and Norwegian Air are launching flights from Zagreb this summer, Zagreb Airport director Tonci Peovic was quoted as saying in the Vjesnik daily on Tuesday (February 23rd).
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German retailer LIDL announced on Monday (February 22nd) the acquisition of Plus, a discount retail chain in Romania and Bulgaria. The Romanian branch, which has been operating since 2005, is valued at more than 200m euros.
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Turkish GSM operator Turkcell won the "Best Corporate Governance in Turkey" award given by World Finance magazine. The company was included in the prestigious ranking along with Bayer pharmaceutical of Germany, Dutch Royal Phillips Electronics, Sweden's Electrolux, Switzerland's Roche and US-based FedEx.
(Various sources -- 19/02/10-26/02/10)
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