The international fair of winter gear, tourism and recreation Expo-zim 2010, with over 80 exhibitors including the first appearance by French, Slovenian and Austrian ski resorts, opened at the Belgrade Fair.

Retired Slovenian skier Boris Strel opened the fair, saying he is honoured to attend the important event which promotes winter sports in the region.

Serbian Minister of Youth and Sport Snezana Samardzic-Markovic commended the fair's tradition of trading sports gear which makes expensive winter sports accessible to all.

The Serbian minister and the Slovenian skier visited several stands, including Ski Servis Strel, where they saw the latest in ski care techniques.

Three new ski-lifts and ski trails on Kopaonik, and an expansion of the snowmaking system and a new ski-lift at the Tornik ski centre on Zlatibor were also showcased at the fair.

The visitors will be able to buy ski passes for domestic resorts with a 10 percent discount and get 15 percent off the most attractive travel packages.

The fair is sponsored by the Ministry of Youth and Sport, in collaboration with the association Sport for All.