REPORT - CITY BREAK 2007 - ATHENS: Belgrade has been appointed as the host destination city for City Break 2008 as officially Reed Travel Exhibitions revealed. Helsinki and Athens have already hosted the three-day event drawing Europe`s leading destinations, hotels, airlines and ancillary suppliers.

Pre-scheduled appointments are the key feature of City Break, as hosted buyers select appointments with their chosen exhibitors; in 2007 these included official city tourist offices from Nantes, Berlin, Thessaloniki, Salzburg and Zaragoza.

The move to Belgrade reflects diversification within the city break market from more traditional European centres to destinations on the Baltic and Adriatic Seas along with less prolific destinations in central Europe.

According to the ECM/European Cities Tourism Report 2006/7, destinations that have seen a dramatic increase in overnight stays (2000-2005) include Dubrovnik (Croatia) +130%, Tallinn (Estonia) +92%, Ljubljana (Slovenia) +71%, Zagreb (Croatia) +64% and Bratislava (Slovakia) +46%.

Mark Walsh, Group Exhibition Director, City Break, said: We are very excited about going to Belgrade and helping to show off this fantastic city to buyers and suppliers alike. The rich culture and history coupled with its infrastructure make this an ideal city to show off the importance of the city break sector.

Olivera Lazovic, Director of Belgrade City Tourism, said: We are delighted to be able to host this pre-eminent exhibition and are hugely excited about increasing the awareness of our fabulous city and its environs.