Hanover, Germany  - One of the top annual fairs in the technology industry, CeBIT, drew to a close on Sunday after suffering a dramatic decline in the number of visitors.

Some 400,000 persons streamed into the six-day event in the German city of Hanover, about 20 per cent less than last year, organizers Deutsche Messe AG said.

CeBIT exhibits computers, software and communications products, mainly for corporate and manufacturing buyers, but is also a showcase for personal computers, laptops and the new ultra-portable netbooks.

This year's CeBIT suffered a 25-per-cent slump in exhibitor numbers to 4,300. Many Asian companies, among them branch leaders Toshiba and Samsung, opted not to have stands of their own.

Nevertheless, Deutsche Messe and representatives of the hi-tech industry said business was good given the fact that the global economic slowdown was hurting many companies.

"The was a spirit of optimism," said August-Wilhelm Scheer, president of the German trade federation, Bitkom. "Many companies are returning home with their order books full."

At the event this year, the US state of California was the "partner," an honorary status usually awarded to entire nations. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger inaugurated the fair with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Deutsche Messe said that next year's CeBIT would be shortened from six days to five, a move designed to reduce the costs for exhibitors.

In recent years, the Consumer Electronics Show held every January in Las Vegas, and Mobile World Congress, in February in Barcelona, have stolen some of CeBIT's glamour as a gadget showcase. dpa