01 December 2018 - The Municipality of Budva, in cooperation with the Tourist Organization Budva, has provided an outdoor gym and exercise space for citizens of Budva, located near the swimming pool on the Slovenian beach.

Assistant Secretary of the Secretariat for Municipal Housing Affairs, Aleksandar Popović, said that the entire training center will be completed by the end of the day.

Popović said that they took care that the devices that were installed for the outdoor gym were of the highest possible quality.

"The appliances are made in America and Denmark, and every part of the device is made of aluminum and a special kind of stainless steel, which is resistant to seawater and does not require special maintenance," said Popović.

He pointed out that special devices for people with disabilities were also provided so that wheelchairs can access and perform certain exercises.

In addition to this gym, the Municipality will make three more outdoor gyms at the following locations: near the "red building", in the village of Beli Do, and on the central part of Bečići beach.

These three venues will be completed within two weeks.

The building of this outdoor gym was discussed during the summer, while the ground works were finished in the August. The total value of the project is estimated at 30.000 EUR. Read more information about outdoor gym in Budva here.

01 December 2018 - The Information on the accession of the Montenegrin Ministry of Defense to the framework Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Defense of Germany and combat forces of Sweden, with reference to the “Resolute Support” mission, announced by the Government of Montenegro, says that costs of the Army of Montenegro and its soldiers in this mission will amount to 2.000.000 EUR on annually. The costs will include contribution fees, accommodation, and travel costs, moving of forces, as well as other expenditures arising from the engagement of members of the Army of Montenegro into the mission in Afghanistan.

The document also says the Army of Montenegro have continued with the engagement in Afghanistan, in accordance with the decision of the Parliament of Montenegro on sending the Montenegrin soldiers into the international “Resolute Support” mission in Afghanistan.

“After Montenegro joined NATO Alliance, its presence in the international missions has increased, so the Parliament of Montenegro decided on sending the Montenegrin soldiers into the “Resolute Support” mission in Afghanistan on 5 July 2018. The Decision approved sending of 40 soldiers into the Mission,” the government's decision states.

During this summer, Montenegro marked one year anniversary of membership in NATO, when it was noted that Montenegro's accession benefits the state, stability of the Western Balkans and international peace and security as well. Also, by joining NATO, Montenegro gained long-lasting stability, as well as favorable conditions that benefit future economic prosperity. Read more information about one year anniversary of membership in NATO here.

Recently, NATO stated that Montenegro is ready to face challenges on its own.

01 December 2018 - The 10th international, diplomatic Christmas charity fair took place on the December 1 in the shopping mall ‘Delta City’, Podgorica, from 10 AM to 6 PM, and public administration minister of Montenegro, Suzana Pribilović opened it. This year’s charity fair will gather 21 embassies, while the main organizer of this beautiful event is the International Women’s Club of Montenegro.

“There will be plenty of locally made food, scarfs, and souvenirs from Cappadocia, dolls, and, of course, Baklava,” announced Aylin Galip, the president of the International Women’s Club of Montenegro, who has been performing this function for 2 years already.

The Fair will gather the representatives of Serbia, Macedonia, Slovenia, Kosovo, Slovakia, South Korea, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pakistan, Hungary, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Ukraine (participates for the first time), and France as well.

The aim of the event is to collect money for humanitarian purposes by selling locally made crafts, while the participants will also be able to present the countries they come from. ,

Collected funds will go to the Children’s Home “Mladost” in Bijela, the Day Care Center for children with developmental difficulties in Stari Aerodrom (Podgorica), while part of the money will be used for buying didactic necessities for primary schools “Radojica Perović” and ”Oktoih”, as well as the kindergarten ”Sunce”.

For more information and photographs, read at Cafe del Montenegro.

01 December 2018 - According to the latest data, Montenegro has been one of the fastest growing economies in the region and even beyond its borders, with a 4.8% growth rate in the first half of this year. It has already been recognized as one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the Mediterranean and one of the fastest developing tourist destinations in the world. Other areas, such as energy and agriculture, also have high potential. In this sense, we believe Montenegro is on the right track and has many possibilities in future, the ambassador of the UAE to Montenegro, Abdulsalam Hareb Obaid Al Romaithi said.

“This year, the United Arab Emirates and Montenegro mark ten years of establishing diplomatic relations that we traditionally foster through friendship, trust, solidarity, and mutual understanding. Over the past ten years, both countries have learned a lot of each other and found the way for partnerships in many areas. As a result of our cooperation, we’ve signed a vast number of significant agreements with the aim of improving our relations and achieving common goals based on the interests of both nations,” said the Ambassador of UAE, adding that “the UAE strongly support Montenegro, and will be committed to fostering relations with Montenegro even more.”

Montenegro has already reached significant progress in numerous areas since restoring its independence in 2006, according to Abdulsalam Hareb Obaid Al Romaithi.

During the last week, to mark ten years of diplomatic relations between the United Arab Emirates and Montenegro, the embassy of the United Arab Emirates organized UAE-MNE Cultural Evening on November 27 at the Great Hall of the Cultural and Informational Centre "Budo Tomović".

During this occasion, it was concluded that the audience in Montenegro had the opportunity to enjoy the folklore performances of the cultural, artistic associations from the UAE, in a friendly exchange with the cultural, artistic association from Montenegro for the first time.

Read more information about the cultural exchange of United Arab Emirates and Montenegro here.

02 December 2018 - Tivat is one of the youngest cities in the Bay of Kotor, as well as on the Montenegrin coast. The city is situated in the central part of the Bay of Boka at the foot of Vrmac (710m) the spur of Mount Lovcen which extends to the north-west side of the town. At the opposite side is the Bay of Tivat which is the largest of four bays forming the Bay of Kotor. The Bay of Tivat with its exceptional beauty attracts every visitor.

There are 17 hotels in different parts of Tivat, but all of them are very close to the sea. There are small hotels with only twenty beds and large ones with about 300 beds. A lot of tourists chose private accommodation which is cheaper, and in many cases, there is no difference in quality comparing it with the hotel accommodation. Both private accommodation and hotels consist of apartments and nicely renovated rooms with their bathroom. Whatever you choose, you are in the right place, because visiting this city for your holiday will be the right decision.

Tourist organization of Tivat has recently published New Year’s Program within the city. As Total Montenegro News journalist explained, Željko Joksimović will entertain citizens of Tivat and their guests on New Year's Eve, and Lepa Brena and Bojan Delić will perform on 1 January, while Ana Kokić and the Tivat band "Toć" will perform on 2 January. The New Year’s program on the city promenade Pine will begin on 15 December when Tivat's caterers will set up recognizable gastro cottages, and the music program will start on 26 December. During the eight holiday days, there will be the concerts of Amadeus band, Ana Rucner, Leontina and guests, Boris Novkovic, La band Tambura night, The gents, Disko inferno, Tribute band ABBA. The rich fun-minded program will continue until January 10, 2019, with a variety of events and resident DJs.

If you decide to spend your New Year’s Eve somewhere along the Montenegrin coast, Tourist organization of Tivat has many propositions for your accommodation options.

If your choice is hotel accommodation, you can pick one of many hotels that are operational all year round, like Hotel Regent Porto Montenegro, Hotel La Roche, Hotel La Perla, Hotel Helada, Hotel Montenegrino, Hotel Astoria, Hotel Carrubba, Hotel Pine Hotel Magnolia, Hotel Palma, Hotel Franca, Hotel Villa Royal, Hotel San, Hotel Anderba or Hostel Anton. TO Tivat has presented all the amenities as well as the contact information of hotels, which you can find on the pictures. 

Read more information about accommodation in Tivat here. 

02 December 2018 - For many years now, the development of winter tourism in Montenegro has been one of the country’s most important goals. The Government of Montenegro has invested about 50 million EUR in Kolašin, the city that will be the backbone of the development of winter tourism in the northern region of Montenegro.

In mid-October, representatives of Montenegrin Government have announced that the central part of the construction process at the “Kolašin 1600 Ski Resort” was completed, including almost one kilometre of roads to the ski resort.

At the end of autumn 2017, the construction of the Doppelmayr's six-seater cable car and the construction of the corresponding ski slopes, under the official name "K-8 Troglava" (named after the 2072 meters above sea level peak), has begun. Most of the works have been completed, all pillars with corrugated batteries on them, as well as the starting and exiting station of the cableway, are installed. The barges are six-seaters with six centimetres thick pillows. The cable car will have a sound system, security cameras along the route, and the Internet will be available to the skiers while driving.

The contractor for the cableway at the Kolašin 1600 site is the Austrian company – Doppelmayr, world's leading manufacturer of ropeways, cable cars, and ski lifts. With the completion of works at the 1600 location, Montenegro will get a new ski resort owned by the state. By building the access road, infrastructure and cableway, the state wants to create conditions for attracting investors who will construct more accommodation capacities and further develop the ski centre.

Prime Minister of Montenegro, Duško Marković, said during the Premiere Hour of the Assembly this week that the Kolašin 1600 ski centre is expected to be operational in the coming days.

On its Twitter account, the Government of Montenegro has released the latest snow-covered photographs of the ski resort.

02 December 2018 - Although the summer season in Herceg Novi ended long ago, the first December weekend near the festive New Year’s season has attracted 1576 guests to the city, which is an increase of 26% compared to last year according to the local Tourist organization data. Most tourists come to Herceg Novi from abroad (1230 guests).

Most tourists chose private accommodation – 975 guests, and 601 guests have picked hotels. Many hotels are closed during winter, and among those which are operational is the luxury Lazure Hotel & Marina in Meljine. This five-star complex is not only popular for people who look for accommodation, but for locals and visitors from other cities of Montenegro as well.

Lazure Marina & Hotel reside on the Adriatic coast of Montenegro at the entrance to the picturesque Kotor bay, next to the beautiful medieval city of Herceg Novi. Supplemented by a boutique hotel housed in a renovated 18th-century building, spacious residences, Mediterranean restaurants, and a wellness centre, the Lazure Marina & Hotel is a supreme destination for travellers and sailors.

And while many guests are enjoying one of the Lazure restaurants and terraces and taking advantage of the favourable weather conditions, the Spa centre is being built within the complex. The planned construction of the new hotel segment is at its beginning stages. The new segment is included in the V, VI and VII phase of the project. The principal investor of the hotel expansion is Limited Liability Company Imperio Holdings. The Spa centre will cover 1710 square metres; it will have an underground segment, ground floor, and first floor. The resort will cover the area of 17,000 square meters, with an underground section for garages, ground floor, and four floors. The whole complex covers over 10 thousand square meters.

The completion of works is planned for next year. The technical documentation was prepared by the company "Omorika Montenegro", which is the contractor. This company has been engaged in the construction of the hotel and has done an excellent job.

02 December 2018 - On November 30, Montenegrin Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism, Pavle Radulović, announced that Montenegro would open Chapter 27 at an intergovernmental conference to be held in Brussels on December 10 this year.

"All EU members gave the green light to the negotiating position of the Government of Montenegro for Chapter 27, which has created the conditions for the Chapter to be opened on December 10," Radulović said at a press conference. He pointed out that this step represents a great success of the whole country, and highlighted his gratitude to his associates and diplomats.

"This is a very significant step for Montenegro, and I publicly congratulate and thank my associates. Also, I thank our diplomatic network as well as the diplomats of the countries of the European Union in Montenegro and the Government's negotiating structure. I particularly thank the EU Delegation in Podgorica. This is a big step forward in the negotiation process, and it is my pleasure to open Chapter 27 in the 27th year since Montenegro was declared an ecological state," said Radulović.

“We are working hard to comply with the EU acquis and attain European standards in the areas such as waste disposal, water management or better air quality because our goal is to ensure a healthy environment for the citizens and new generations,” Montenegro’s Chief EU Negotiator Aleksandar Drljevic stated on September 1st.

To achieve gradual and complete transposition of the entire EU acquis for Chapter 27-Environment and Climate Change into the legal system of Montenegro, the country adopted The National Strategy with Action Plan for transposition, implementation, and enforcement of the EU acquis on Environment and Climate Change (the Strategy with AP) 2016-2020.

Montenegro submitted its Draft on January 22^nd, after which the Montenegrin Negotiating team representatives subsequently had a video conference with the European Commission’s representatives from the Directorate-general for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Directorate-general for the Environment and Directorate-general for Climate Change. During the Montenegrin Parliament’s public forum Montenegro and EU, Chapter 27: Environment and climate change, Radulovic said that the Draft was “generally praised” by the European Commission.

Skiing in Montenegro - who brought it, and when?

Skiing in Montenegro was Immediately supported by Prince Nikola