12 August 2019 - According to the latest report by the European Travel Commission, Montenegro is the 'Star of the Mediterranean' in the first quarter of this year. Cafe del Montenegro reported that Croatian Jutarnji list states that according to the European statistical data, in the first three months of 2019, Montenegro recorded increase by 29% in overnight stays and increase by 49% in tourists.

Experts are warning that Montenegro has serious comparative advantages. Interlocutors of Jutarnji list point out that Montenegro is strong thanks to investment packages.

“Licenses for investors are provided in only several months, as well as a waiver from duties. Besides, fuel for boaters is cheap,” writes Jutarnji.

State Secretary in the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism Damir Davidović said in a statement for Croatian media that in the past 15 years Montenegro has been recording continuous turnover growth.

“In 2019, we opened 27 new hotels, 24 of which are four or five-star hotels. Three projects worth 3 billion euros are currently underway – Luštica Bay, the resort town with a marina near Kotor, Marina Porto Montenegro, and Portonovi project,” pointed out Davidović.

He also said that Montenegro had 43.000 overnight stays in collective accommodation facilities. Investors are offered favorable tax conditions. The VAT on hotel accommodation is 7%.

Davidović stated that Aman group was operating in Montenegro. Aman group is managing hotels on Sveti Stefan and the same investors are planning construction of another five-star hotel, as well as the highest-category hotel in Žabljak.

Read more news about traveling through Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

Almost 40,000 tourists are in Herceg Novi, which is 4 percent more than in the same period last year.

According to data from the local Tourism Organisation, this is also a season record for this year, which has seen lower tourist numbers due to a drop in private accommodation stays.

There are still slightly fewer guests staying in private homes than last year (31,260), representing a reduction of two percent, Radio Jadran reports.

Hotels continue to see a rise in numbers with 8,640 tourists, representing an increase of as much as 32 percent, registered as staying in this category of accommodation.

Herceg Novi. Photo: Boka News

The three registered campsites have recorded only 109 guests in total, representing a slight drop of two percent on last year.

Only 959 of the guests registered in Herceg Novi were from Montenegro. Others are foreign visitors from the region, Russia, Scandinavia, the UK, and other EU countries.

Employees at the Montenegrin airport will be able to use four electric vehicles to transfer regular passengers from the plane to the terminal building, as well as to transport workers.

This will help them to perform their duties much quicker, particularly in summer when the airport serves around 40 planes a day.

Tivat Airport. Photo: Boka News

“For the first time at Tivat Airport, we have electric vehicles, two four-seater, and two eight-seater, made by Italcar, Torino. I believe that we will significantly improve our service to business passengers, and make it easier for our employees to carry out their regular jobs,” Airport Director Danilo Orlandić wrote on his Facebook profile.

Airports in Montenegro are among the 200 busiest in the world during the first half of this year. Eleven airports from former Yugoslavia have been ranked among these top two hundred, out of which one is in the top 100. Montenegrin airports Tivat and Podgorica, are place 166 and 175 among the busiest.

Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport has been ranked 94th on the list as the busiest of the eleven with 2,612,981 passengers, 27,879 departures and 8,786 tons of cargo carried between January and June. It was ahead of London City, Vilnius and Tbilisi but behind Bergen, Thessaloniki and Bilbao. as data from the International Airport Council (ACI) show, EX-Yu Aviation News reports. EX-YU Aviation News was launched on June 1, 2008, with the aim of bringing together commercial aviation news from the former Yugoslavia. Ever since, the site has become the go-to place for news from the region and is updated on a daily basis with fresh articles available from 09.00 Central European Time.

Zagreb Airport took 116th place with 1,529,281 passengers, 19,206 departures and 4,069 tons of cargo. Although better than Tirana, Chisinau and Florence, it fell behind Treviso, Wroclaw and Verona.

Split Airport continued to improve its position among European airports, becoming the 131st busiest airport on the continent in the first half of the year.

It was followed by Dubrovnik (134th), Skopje (135th), Pristina (136th), Ljubljana (146th), Podgorica (166th), Sarajevo (173rd), Airport Tivat (175th) and Zadar, which occupied 184. place.

Of the major European cities, Sarajevo had the least passenger traffic, while London, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Madrid were the busiest on the continent.

Although the number of passengers at all eleven airports in the former Yugoslavia in the first two hundred in Europe increased during the first half of the year compared to the previous year, all registered a decrease in the amount of processed cargo, with the exception of Skopje.

Over ten thousand people have been recently enjoying a stay in Kotor, around five percent more than in the same period last year, said the director of the local Tourist Organisation, Ana Nives Radović.

She added that this is never a real indicator of how close to capacity they are, as year on year there is both more hotels and private accommodations.

“Statistics, however, do show that occupancy is at the same level as last year. On the other hand, in Kotor, there is greater awareness of tourist registration, particularly in private accommodation. It’s extremely laudable that owners of accommodation recognise that they have a responsibility to register guests, and on this issue Kotor is number one in Montenegro,” stated Radović to Skala Radio.

She mentioned just a few of the newest features of Kotor, which this year is second on the list of best and most interesting cruise destinations in the Eastern Mediterranean. It occupies the same spot in the list of top 15 European destinations this year.

Radović believed that the praise speaks for itself, but the most important way for tourism employees to improve business is by listening to tourists’ comments.

“One of the main complaints is the noise in some places in the Old Town, and then there is the issue of cleanliness, or rather lack thereof, particularly regarding beaches and bathing spots. Most problematically, there is a lack of litter bins,” said Radović.

She added that traffic congestion wasn’t so much a problem for tourists, but for locals who feel it most in the high season.

“There is a longstanding problem of unresolved and overlapping responsibilities between the Municipality, Morsko Dobro, Kotor Utilities Company and the Directorate for Planning and Development of Kotor. This is particularly a problem when it comes to maintenance of promenades along the sea, benches, fixtures, and public lighting,” said Radović.

Due to the lack of clear information as to who is in charge and responsible for which work, locals and tourists often turn to the media and the Tourist Organisation.

Radović highlighted the problem expressed at the start of the main tourist season in Kotor, which is parking for an even higher number of tourist buses.

“This reached a peak when there was a change in the local authority in Kotor, and there was no coordinating body to monitor the tourist season, because it had not been established for this year by the former authorities,” stated Radović.

She believes that such a body should be in place throughout the year, as Kotor generally relies on excursion and cruise tourism.

Since there had been no local assembly sessions, no decision had been made to collect a fee for the economic use of cultural goods, or a fee otherwise collected from tourist buses.

“Because of this, we lost a significant sum daily, some several hundred euros, with only one bus paying a 15 euro tax. Already in March, a large number of agencies were asking where and to whom they should pay the fee,” Radović stated.

When it comes to tourist buses, we also have a problem of stopping, parking, holding, noise, crowds and a lack of alternative locations, all at a time when the tourist season is already well underway.

“Kotor Tourist Organisation managed to inform the agencies of where the buses should be, maintain contact with them and announce all the arrivals to all those for whom the unresolved situation and confusion could be a reason to not return to Kotor,” concluded Radović.

Source: RTCG

09 August 2019 - The only cave in Montenegro open for organized visits, the Lipa Cave near Cetinje, with 2 km of passages, halls and galleries, is one of the greatest tourist attractions in Montenegro. Even if you are taking a walk through only one of its parts, it is still an unforgettable experience.

The entrance to Lipa Cave is located near the famous Belvedere viewpoint, some 30 km away from Budva and Podgorica, at the entrance of Cetinje and Director of marketing and sales Milena Raičević says that this is favorite location of tourists and explorers, as CdM reports.

“The beauty of Lipa Cave has been well known since ancient times. Great figures of Montenegrin history, Petar II Petrović Njegoš and King Nikola particularly praised its authentic beauty. Lipa Cave was discovered much earlier, before Njegoš. And even back then, people had access to the cave. Famous explorers and scientists from the 19^th century left documents about their researches, cave ornaments and motives,” pointed out Raičević.

A whole kilometer of the main cave hall is available for visitors these days. The illuminated pathway is around 600 meters long and is surrounded by untouched cave parts. There are two types of organized cave tours. Both tours start with a little train ride to the parking at the entrance to Lipa Cave.

“Visitors are accompanied by experienced and well-trained guides. They are specialized in cave tours and know everything about its history. Ticket prices depend on the type of tour. The price includes: train ride, tour guide, insurance and parking, sometimes equipment,” said Raičević.

The Cave is available for visits starting from April, two times a day - at noon and at 2 PM. From May to October tours begin at 10 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, 2 PM and 4 PM.

“Visitors can choose between Cave tour and Extreme tour. Visitors are mostly interested in the first one. It lasts for 60 minutes. It's not very demanding and we recommend it to families with children. Lipa Cave Temperature is 8 °C - 12 °C. Visitors should take jackets and appropriate shoes. This basic tour does not require special equipment,” stressed out Raičević.

Ticket for the adults costs 10,90 EUR, for children under the age of 5 it costs 1 EUR and for children under the age of 15 years old it costs 6,90 EUR. Family visit package costs 29,90 EUR.

“Extreme adventure is scheduled in advance. The difference between these two tours is the fact that extreme adventure starts with visitors descending down to the cave using a rope and they tour around 1 kilometer of cave channels and passages. Before they start the adventure, visitors get special equipment,” stated Raičević.

This two-and-a-half-hour tour costs 50 EUR per person. For children aged between 5 and 15, it costs 25 EUR.

“Safety of our visitors comes first. There have not been any accidents ever since the Cave opened. The part of the cave used for tours is arranged in accordance with the highest world standards in the arrangement of speleological structures,” stressed Raičević.

However, Lipa Cave offers even more - there is wine and juice tasting in the cave bar. In addition, visitors can enjoy short classical music concerts organized in one of the largest cave halls – the Hall of Njegoš.

The number of visitors to Lipa Cave is increasing every year. Visitors are mostly foreigners.

“On Trip Advisor page, we are in the first place according to the impression of visitors, the main tourist attraction in Cetinje. That is a great success,” concluded Raičević.

For more information about Lipa Cave please visit their official website.

Read more news about traveling through Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

08 August 2019 - As an integral part of Portonovi Resort – one of the most prestigious resorts in this part of Europe, D-Marin Portonovi Marina began its operations.

Situated in one of the most beautiful spots in Boka Bay, Portonovi is comprised of 26 hectares of exclusivity with over 1,8 kilometres of beachfront access, delivering 214 residences with a variety of tenure in its first phase. Portonovi will provide the very best in service and understated luxury and world class amenities that include Europe’s first One & Only and Espace Chenot Health Wellness Spa which are to open in 2020 as well as the deep-water D-Marin Portonovi Marina already welcoming its first guests.

D-Marin Portonovi Marina, opening just before the grand premiere of Portonovi this summer, is a deep-water marina which will host yachts up to 120 metres and offer 238 berths, a choice of entry points and a sheltered position at the entrance to the bay. This state-of-the-art marina will offer its clients all the necessary maintenance and safety requirements, along with as a recently opened customs entry, as well as the soon-to-be-open fuel station. The marina promenade will also provide versatile experiences for all guests and visitors.

D-Marin Portonovi marina will offer superyachts and boating enthusiasts the opportunity to explore the network of D-Marin ports in Croatia, Greece and Turkey through its so-called Happy Berth Days, which offers privileged access of 7-day free stay in other D-Marin marinas and additional 40% discount after the free days expire.

The addition of Portonovi to the Mediterranean coast will continue to position Montenegro amongst the most attractive yachting destinations world-wide, guaranteeing a first-class tourist and lifestyle offering.

D-Marin is a Doğuş Group company that was established to set a new benchmark in operations of the marinas. By managing 10 unique marinas in Ionian, Aegean & Adriatic Seas, D-Marin creates one of the largest international chain of marinas in the Eastern Mediterranean that promotes recreational yachting and develops sustainable businesses that encourage local employment and growth within the economy.

Read more informations on how to get to Montenegro and what to visit at TMN's dedicated page.

From 1st April to 1st August, 99,402 tourists visited Kotor’s fortresses. The total revenue from entry fees was €795,216 euros.

In the same period last year, 68,218 tourists visited, bringing in €545,744. 

Speaking to Boka News, Željko Knežević, from the Directorate for Planning and Development of Kotor, which manages the city walls, stated that 30,000 more visits had taken place over the same period.

The reasons cited by Knežević were the 20 percent increase on last year in cruise ship visits, along with opening earlier in the year. Another possible reason given was the changing weather, making conditions for visiting the fortresses much more pleasant.

The ticket price is 8 euros.