This year the transactions in world tourism market are expected to rise by three to four percent, Executive Director of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) Zoltan Somogyi said at the 32nd International Tourism Fair in Belgrade on Wednesday.

He also expressed opinion that Serbia could make bigger profit in 2010.

The WTO's executive director told Tanjug that last year there were 880 million tourist arrivals, whereby the profit made was USD one billion, which is four percent less than in 2008.

Last year, tourism was facing problems in the world market, but not in Serbia, as the country showed it could do a very good job, having hosted more foreign tourists and making bigger profit, Somogyi said.

He reiterated that Serbia has won a rural tourism development project to the amount of USD four million, funded by the Spanish government via EU institutions.

Somogyi said a meeting was held in Belgrade on Tuesday, to start drafting a business plan for rural tourism development in Serbia, which should be finished by the end of this year.

He stressed that Serbia is a very important member of WTO and that, as of November 2009, the country has also been WTO's Executive Council member.