A vibrant music and entertainment program that began in Budva on December 22^nd as part of the "Christmas pjaceta" project in the city park, near the Old Town, came to an end this weekend with a concert by the most famous Montenegrin band - "Perper". Within the "Christmas pjaceta" numerous concerts and entertainment programs for different tastes and ages were realized, and it additionally completed Budva's offer during the past New Year's and Christmas holidays.

After the performance by Nina Žižić and DJ Stevan Mandić, the audience was entertained once again by the DJ and producer Stevan Mandić on Saturday evening at 8 p.m. On Sunday,  DJ Necke warmed up the audience before the performance of "Perper", who played from 8 to 10.30 pm. After Perper, at the stage in front of the city park, the famous and loved sounds of songs such as "Montenegro jazz","Golub za 086","Na Svetog Nikolu","Kome dolaziš u san","Goro moja "and many others could be heard. 

On Sunday the last in a series of humanitarian actions was realized, which aimed to raise funds for the purchase of wheelchairs for the needs of the Second Primary School from Budva.

All interested were able to donate the funds in the city park at the TO Budva stand.

The "Christmas pjaceta" project was organized by the Tourist Organization of the Municipality of Budva, with the support of the local self-government and the JP Morsko dobro, and the co-organizers were Budva Caterers Association whose offer is available at wooden houses within the park.

Text by Vuk Lajovic, on January 12th 2019, read more at Vijesti

January 13, 2019 - The Herceg Novi Construction and Development Agency has completed the design of the viewpoint on Njivice Road and the value of the works is about 15 thousand euros.

According to the director of the Agency Boro Lucic, the space along the road itself was cleaned, a fence that does not block the view, but secures the location was placed, the area was sanded, equipment and a fountain were installed. Previously, new lighting was installed, as well as the sign "I love Herceg Novi" provided by the Tourism Organization. When the weather conditions permit, seasonal flowers will be planted, and small parking will be built across the road from the viewpoint.

This viewpoint was the favorite place of the former SFRJ president Josip Broz Tito, where he stopped and rested during his walks while he lived in Igalo, in the second half of the seventies of the last century. Then the first works on its arrangement were carried out.

Text by Slavica Kosic, on January 11th 2019, read more at Vijesti

January 13, 2018 - Montenegro is my homeland, and I will do everything to improve the economic connections of Montenegro and Argentina, said one of the most successful descendants of Montenegrin immigrants in Latin America, Federico Tomasevich, whose great-grandfather Slavomir Tomasevich moved to Argentina before the Great War.

Federico will visit Montenegro for the first time by the middle of this year. His first plan is to go to visit his grandfather's house in Herceg Novi first.

13 January 2019 - TUI UK, a UK-based travel operator, recommends Montenegro as the perfect destination to have the most amazing holiday. This organisation offers useful advice on where to go, what to see, how to prepare for a trip and more!

Beautiful beaches, lively resorts, and spectacular scenery – you’ll find them all on holiday to Montenegro, Europe’s under-the-radar spot.

Balkan beauty

With great beaches, forest-cloaked mountains and mirror-like lakes, Montenegro is certainly easy on the eye. But natural beauty isn’t all the country has got going for it. You’ll also find friendly locals, centuries-old sights and resorts that are completely geared up for holidaymakers.

Budva Riviera

The town of Budva is the main resort on the country’s Budva Riviera. It’s a lively place with a handful of first-class beaches to pick from. The old town is characterised by Venetian houses, bell towers and shady piazzas, while the newer part of the city houses swish boutiques and pavement cafés.

Bečići

A few kilometres down the road is Bečići, a modern town with a spectacular sandy beach and a backdrop of pine-cloaked hills. At the far end of the promenade, you’ll find quirky shops and al fresco cafés in the old fishing village.

Petrovac

Further south is Petrovac. It’s sleepier than its neighbours, so it’s a great choice if you want to turn the tempo down a few notches. The beach is a big attraction here – it’s a sandy number set in a horseshoe-shaped bay.

Best time to go to Montenegro

The coastal areas of Montenegro enjoy hot summers and mild winters. November to March are the coldest months. At this time of year, average daily temperatures range from 10˚C to 15˚C. Things begin to warm up in April, and the heat reaches its peak in July and August when the mercury regularly climbs up into the high twenties. Trips into the mountains offer respite from the heat. The temperature here can be as much as much as 7 degrees cooler than the coast. Montenegro is pretty wet in the winter, but summers only experience 4 to 7 showers every month, and they don’t last long.

Passports & Visas

British citizens don’t need a visa to enter Montenegro but must have a valid passport.

Health & Safety

You should take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance to cover you while you’re away. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office and National Travel Health Network and Centre have up-to-date advice on staying safe and healthy abroad.

Source: TUI UK Website

11 January 2019 - The development programme that provides the possibility for persons to acquire Montenegrin citizenship by investments in the following three years is launched, based on a maximum of 2,000 applications.

The Decision on criteria, method, and procedure for selection of persons who may acquire Montenegrin citizenship by admission for the implementation of a special investment programme of particular importance for the business and economic interest of Montenegro began to be applicable on January 1, 2019.

The decision of the Government was adopted with the aim of developing Montenegro, i.e. with the goal of attracting foreign investments that will intensify development projects in the sector of tourism, agriculture and processing industry in the entire area of Montenegro, both in the north and in the south, as well as faster development of under-developed municipalities of Montenegro.

The model of the particular programme is GRANT + INVESTMENT.

A grant shall refer to the amount intended for development of under-developed local self-government units. The amount of the grant shall be 100,000 EUR per application of an applicant, which is a total of  200 million EUR for 2,000 applications, that being an amount that will be intended for development of under-developed local self-government units.

On the other hand, the investment shall refer to the amount intended for investment in one of the development projects from the Development Projects List that shall be defined by the Government at the proposal of the line ministries, while the amount that a legal entity shall be obliged to pay is as follows:

- at least 450,000 EUR, to invest in one of the development projects in the Capital City of Podgorica or the coastal zone of Montenegro; or

- at least 250,000 EUR, to invest in one of the development projects in the northern or central region of Montenegro, not including the Capital City of Podgorica.

11 January 2019 - The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism has been satisfied with the last year’s season and generated 1 billion EUR of revenues. According to minister Pavle Radulović, opinions on technical documentation for 16 new hotels in 5 coastal towns have already been issued.

“According to our estimates, 320 million EUR will be invested in tourism facilities this year. We have been delighted with the impressive records we achieved last year in this area of industry, especially regarding revenues and number of tourists, counting 2.1 million, which was by 100,000 more compared to 2017,” said Radulović.

For the first time in the history of Montenegrin tourism, hotels hosted a million tourists, i.e., there were 4 million overnight stays in the first ten months of 2017.

Radulović pointed out that Montenegrin strategic goal is for the country to become a high-end tourist destination throughout the whole year. He believes the process of legalization of illegally constructed facilities has started well.

So far, 51,000 citizens have applied for the legalization.

The growth of tourism revenues in Montenegro in 2018 was established at 8.3% n the first nine months, thus reaching the level of tourism income realised during the whole year of 2017. These revenues in 2018 were projected to exceed 1 billion EUR.

As of the beginning of 2019, the value of tourism projects in Montenegro in the past year was estimated at 214 million EUR.

During this occasion, Radulović was asked about tourism in Northern Montenegro, on which he answered that this part of Montenegro is still in development and that with new and renewed ski-centers, Northern Montenegro can improve significantly as a tourist destination.

“When it comes to Kolašin, I am sure that, with the development of ski centers and other amenities, it can attract a much higher number of tourists. Also, I think that Kolašin and Žabljak should not be competitive with one another, but with other regional centers. It is important to point out that infrastructure in the mountains is used during summer too. We are continuously investing in winter centers because that way we will provide promotion of different segments of tourism offer, extend the season in the northern part of our state and improve accommodation capacities. All this will be followed by connection with other relevant economic areas, and that will create new jobs,” concluded Radulović.

12 January 2019 - In the exhibition hall of the Cultural and Information Centre "Budo Tomović," on Friday, January 11, at 7 pm, an unusual exhibition of photographs of graffiti in Podgorica named "The Street Writes with its Heart" will be opened. The author of the exhibition is Marko Vujović, and CIC director Snežana Burzan will open the exhibition.

When you think about an art exhibition, a person usually does not think of an area full of graffiti. Still, the Cultural and Information Centre wants to embrace contemporary trends and offer different experiences to suit everyone's tastes. That's how the idea of the graffiti exhibition arose.

This is the first exhibition of photographs of graffiti in Podgorica and Montenegro, and the author, with the help of the editor of the CIC art program Damiro Hodžić, has had a difficult task in making a choice from a rich collection of photographs of graffiti from the buildings and streets of Podgorica from 2015 to 2018.

"Graffiti represents one of the methods by which a particular group of young people communicates with the environment. The themes of the graffiti are divided into several segments (love, music, local speech, quits, socio-economic condition). Any hate speech is omitted, to emphasize the creativity through humorous and meaningful messages and questions that occupy young people’s minds”, said the representatives of the CIC "Budo Tomović".

The author wanted to demonstrate the world of graffiti and street art and celebrate this dynamic modern art movement. Diverse styles of street art will be presented at this exhibition so that visitors can expect variations in handwriting styles and lettering concepts found throughout the streets of the city today.

This exhibition can be viewed until January 21. So, will you make the trip down to Podgorica and visit one of the most unusual exhibitions in Montenegro?

12 January 2019 - National food products are a powerful feature and a promotional tool for presenting Montenegro as a tourist destination. The delicacies from the country represent a valuable and profitable segment of the national heritage and traditional values, announced the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro.

"The national food products placement through tourism represents a unique form of export when the product is kept within country borders, and the potentials of this kind of product placement should be used as much as possible," Chamber’s representatives stated for Mina-business News Agency.

The Chamber said that Montenegrin products enjoy a good reputation and that the potential for their placement on the foreign market is continuously increasing, even though the globalization era carries many struggles for producers.

According to the Chamber’s representatives, tourists do not seek food products that originate from the countries they come. Instead, they want Montenegrin gastronomic gems that will remind them of the beautiful moments they spent "between the mountains and the sea." It is these moments, as the Chamber of Economy emphasizes, that can be beautifully coloured with the blushes of the wines from the Ćemovsko field and the prosciutto created under Njeguši, the golden beer below the Trebjesa and the honey from untouched meadows, whitish milk from mountain pastures and crystal clear water from mountain springs.

The local flavour is, as they claim, the best souvenir.

Chamber of Economy also reminded that in 2009 they launched the project “Goods from Montenegro”, with the aim of recognising, highlighting and marking quality Montenegrin products. The representatives stated that the goal of this project is difficult - to change the purchasing habits of consumers, so that domestic products, which have a pre-tested and unique quality, safety, freshness, flavour, and smell, can get a place that they deserve.

The Economic Chamber concluded that the national home-made delicacies deserve to be on the Montenegrin dining tables and to become the best part of the tourist offer which will glorify Montenegro as a tourist destination.

Source: MINA Business

10 January 2019 - The Montenegrin economy should achieve a slightly lower rate this year, due to its strong base, following the high of last year's growth, announced the Vice Governor of the Central Bank of Montenegro, Nikola Fabris.

"We forecast that the growth rate of gross domestic product in this year amounts to about 3.5 percent," Fabris said in an interview with the Mina Business Agency.

According to him, sectors that the Central Bank of Montenegro expects to be economic growth holders this year are tourism, energy, and construction, mostly by the continuation of construction of the highway, tourist and energy facilities.

‘’Also, it is realistic to expect a gradual recovery processing industry and an absolute growth of agricultural production in the function of imports substitutions," Fabris concluded.

The Ministry of Finance recently developed an Autumn analysis of macroeconomic trends and structural reforms in cooperation with other relevant institutions. The autumn analysis included economic trends and growth in the first nine months of 2018.

The World Bank and the IMF revised their projections for the countries of the Western Balkans, so the forecast for the western Balkan countries was 3.5%, while for Montenegro, the World Bank revised the projection for 2018 to 3.8% or the whole 1 pp. more than the original estimates.

The projection is that by the end of the year, the public finance deficit will amount to 135.5 million EUR (2.9% of GDP). The budget deficit will be 173.1 million EUR (3.8% of GDP), while the local government will have a surplus of 37 million EUR (0.8% of GDP).

However, the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro recently stated that the grey economy and unfair competition are great business barriers.

“To overcome those barriers, we need to provide greater flexibility of labor market and enable the employer more space to cancel the contract of employment in case the employee fails to justify the reasons for his employment, reduce labor costs, primarily contributions thereof. That will provide higher employment, reduce the grey economy and create new jobs. It will also increase the minimum wage and consequently, reduce the unfair competition and increase the budget revenues,” pointed out Golubović.