02 August 2019 - Energy Regulatory Agency acquired the status of a closed distribution electricity system for the Uniprom company and Luštica Development.

These companies thus gained the right to deliver electricity independently in the zone of the Aluminum Plant, that is, in the area of Luštica Development tourist complex.

The purpose of the closed distribution system is the delivery of the electricity in the geographically limited area for the complexes which have integration of work or production process, trade or service activities, such as Aluminum Plant and processing factories built by Uniprom within the Plant and Luštica Bay, as CdM reports.

“Uniprom Nikšić and Luštica Development Utilities Company are obliged to pay a fee for the use of the closed distribution system, following the law. Uniprom is obliged to provide special measuring sites for the users, before the contract is concluded,” read the decisions adopted by ERA in yesterday’s session.

The closed distribution system of Uniprom, which own Aluminum Plant, is connected to the transmission system through three connecting transmission lines. The closed distribution system of Luštica is connected to the distribution system managed by CEDIS Pržno substation. This institute was introduced three years ago.

Uniprom Group planned on the opening of the Uniprom KAP factory of aluminum billets/logs for December 2019. The planned value of this investment is approximately 15 million EUR. It is expected that these two factories will create 80 new jobs.

"In addition to the already installed silumin factory, which will produce 30,000 tons of special alloys of an outstanding foreign market value of 75 million USD, which will be opened soon, we are starting to implement the next project, which is the construction of a new factory of aluminum billets/logs," said owner of the company Veselin Pejović on this occasion.

Read more news about business in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

01 August 2019 - In the first six months of 2019, more than half a million tourists have been recorded in Montenegrin hotels. That is 23,6% more tourists, or 12,5% beyond the results recorded in the same period in 2018, as CdM reported.

New preliminary data provided by the Statistical Office of Montenegro indicated a very successful season in relation to collective accommodation, regardless of bad weather conditions in May and June. The total number of guests amounted to 502.744 whereas the number of overnights reached 1.523.475.

These figures suggest a trend of shorter stays and extended weekend-trips as a new fashion in the world.

Budva is still the “capital of tourism”. There have been 211.826 tourists in the hotels in Budva.

According to the number of tourists, the Capital comes second. Although hotel capacities in Podgorica are scarce, it has welcomed 75.693 visitors. According to the number of overnights, Herceg Novi is in second place. Tivat has had 33.897 guests and 77.046 tourists, Bar has had 20.404 and 83.929 overnights. Around 20.015 guests and even 85.369 overnights have been recorded in Ulcinj.

Since the beginning of the year until the end of June, around 31.370 tourists have visited main tourist centers in the north, Kolašin and Žabljak.

Tourists from Germany were dominant in the structure of our visitors. They are followed by visitors from Serbia, and then come tourists from China and Hong Kong. Guests from Russia have recorded the highest number of overnights – 157.686. Guests from Serbia recorded 140.080 overnights whereas Germans generated 129.076. Chinese and Albanians still have short stays in Montenegro.

The next set of data on the number of tourists and overnights in registered hotels, resorts and similar accommodation facilities will be published on 30 August. Total data regarding all types of accommodation will be published at the end of February.

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

31 July 2019 - The following article represents the personal perspective of author Gunther Fehlinger on the 12 concrete recommendations for European Montenegro and the views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Total Montenegro News.

This article is the 3rd in series to contribute to better tourism and economic development by Austrian and European best practices in transport and tourism planning and pricing. For more information about the economic part, read Strategy for European Boka 2020 and for transport and mobility issues, read Smart Mobility Strategy RecommendationsRecommendations from 2018, still fully to be implemented.

This article from July 2019 discusses concrete experiences and builds simple, small budget recommendations on how to improve the 2020 tourism season. The Austrian author lives has lived in Morinj Montenegro every summer since 2006 and is an economic consultant for European transition economies.

1. Meet the Montenegro border and customs!

Entering Montenegro from Bosnia, the welcome is a one hour waiting at the smallest border crossing and a warm welcome by a rough, unfriendly Montenegro border policeman working slowly and asking in bad English what I want in Montenegro. Well, a good question – most Europeans in the summertime in a car with children come for tourism, not for arms, drugs nor car smuggling! A kind smile and welcome to Montenegro would be just fine. But well maybe smiling is not part of the job description for the border police in Balkans.

2. Have a green card or driving a stolen car?

Car smuggling is a good topic, must be common in the EU in 2019 as the border police ask for car papers and a green card for each car. Most cars coming from northern Montenegro are from the EU or Bosnia or Serbia - where else they should come from? I actually happened to come from Kyiv, Ukraine by car and it is the first time I was checked for papers and green cards since entering the EU at the Polish -Ukrainian border. Nobody asked me when I left Schengen in Slovenia – Croatian border nor when I entered Bosnia but when entering Montenegro, I am checked and registered and this takes time. Arriving at the border at the new small border checkpoint I chose because I had the pleasure of waiting many hours at the other bigger checkpoints to Croatia and Bosnia many times before, so I decided for this one close to Foča in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Well done, I thought when there were only 7 cars and I consider myself smart and lucky and after one hour I passed with just 7 cars in line and I doubted my choice.  Sure, we must have control and simply waving summer tourists through like inside EU might not be possible, but really, is it necessary to register every car and check the green card? We in the EU have the administrative capacities to ensure that all cars are insured and in fact they are and who comes in the EU we anyhow check at our EU land border to Ukraine & Belarus and where shall the cars come from if not from the EU, Bosnia or Serbia when entering the northern checkpoints of Montenegro? And if you do not trust Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia cars for green cards well OK check them but EU registered cars? And are there so many stolen cars you find with these checks?

3. End this nonsense asking for car papers and green cards!

Why not scrap these useless annoying asking for car papers and insurance have much faster border process and invest a bit more in EU standards road safety measures? One simple measure and everybody is happier to come back a second time in amazing and magic Montenegro with great people and amazing landscape but quite backward procedures introduced after the Balkan Wars when smuggling to main business in southern Balkans but are they really justified today? No. So, one simple order from Ministry of Interior to stop asking EU registered cars at the northern border check with Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina during the summer season for car papers and green cards and well Montenegro has many more happy EU tourists. Or stop that unnecessary procedure fully for all – we are in 2019 not in 1999.

4. Transit trucks in tourist coastal area during peak season?

Better border management during season includes to interdict transit during the season at the coastal border crossing and forcing them inland. Simple inform all logistic companies that no truck above 3,5 t will be allowed to cross from Croatia to Montenegro and such trucks are allowed in July and August only the main Bosnia and Herzegovina Montenegro border crossing close to Nikšić. Assign the customs official to that border crossing and simple stop transit above 3,5 t during the 2 crucial months for the Bay of Kotor relevant border crossings. Inform the transport industry now and assign some more customs officials to the main border crossing at the M6 close to Vilusi.

5. Allow only delivery trucks with coastal destination or origin to use the Adriatic Highway during the season.

And constant traffic jams at the Adriatic Highway will be much better between Herceg Novi and Ulcinj in July and August only truck for delivery target costly supply chain and the rest inland on Nikšić – Podgorica – Shkoder and next year to the new highway north if transit is for Kosovo and beyond. And yes, to the Adriatic Highway but this I have discussed so often elsewhere, and here only about the small items with big effect – but still yes you need a big inland motorway connecting Croatia with Albania along with your main population centres of Nikšić and Podgorica. Why build the Northern Highway to nowhere first is beyond understanding, but anyhow, good, it is ready, but now for the real part the Adriatic Highway.

6. More landing spots for the Ferry on each side and re-locate the Port Master House

The border and transit lead to the ferry over the Boka, the most famous bottleneck of the past has a lot of its terror since now 6 ferries are in operation and transport is swift and waiting times still considerable but no longer painful. Now the real bottleneck is the lack of landing spots for the ferries. Each side in Kamenari and Lepentane has only 3 and so the ferries have to wait in the straits until on and off loading allows for the next ferry to land. On Lepentane side there is ample space for the 4^th landing spot on the Tivat side of the village and why not ask the operator to do it or share the costs with the Government as part of the concession? On the Kamenari Herceg Novi side, there is space but the obstacle is the Old Port Master house in stone blocking the space. While it may cost a bit to simple expropriate it the costs of simple re-locating it and rebuilding the house 300 m towards the Herceg Novi side on the seaside next to the Old Stone House ensemble seems reasonable compared to the traffic obstacle it poses for public safety and welfare. There is a great beach zone close to the Port now looking to Tivat and now a bit in shadow of the ferry port there are two old stone houses and a perfect spot for a small Marina for sport boats and why not re-locate the Old Port Master House there and make a nice small protected marina for small boats there on the Herceg Novi side of the Ferry Port and so upgrade the whole Verige Bay with a working nice Marina for small boats left  of Kamenari and a 4^th landing spot for the ferry and straighten out the street which in the most important obstacle for the bottleneck of the ferry port?

7. Learn from the Austrian Alpine Village forbidding transit traffic in summer

And there to build a checkpoint and stop all transit trucks and force them on the ferry if they still made it through the border. And to ask and force all major vehicle without final destination inner Boka Bay onto the Ferry. We do the same in many Alpine villages to forbid transit in a village when there is a highway and the same principle applies to Ferry and UNESCO Inner Bay. Only source and destination traffic may pass now and later add an entry fee as outlined in Boka Bay 2020 article but for now, enforce the usage of the Ferry for all major vehicles who do not need to go there for accommodation or supply or tourism reason. If you put a policeman asking all and a table to explain the ferry makes more turnover as well and put the cost of the re-location to the Ferry operator. The Austrian Government did the same in Sarajevo with the INATI Restaurant even 150 years ago. It can be done within one winter no problem and the traffic is much faster no need for bridge or tunnel at all.

8. Traffic restriction for Inner Bay of Kotor – speed limit 30 km/h all along the Bay road in season

This leads to the traffic restriction for the Inner Bay of Kotor I have called for many years now. During the season only two months access only with payment is the best option. As the Austrian Administration has built the coastal road as it is today and it was the right decision but today in main touristic usage in summer both traffic and consumers walking to the beaches of the Inner bay have to live in some cooperation which can only work if you put a price tag on the entry and so only the once with a reason of logistics to the Bay and tourism in the Bay come in and the rest either pays or uses the ferry. With a resident card, I have outlined already this is simple to administer and the effect for the Inner Bay tourism will be amazing. The Bay road is a touristic sensation in itself and not a transit truck stops nor a rally track for local youth nor a black spot for traffic accidents nor a road where slow driving tourists are an annoying domestic supply truck in beach zone as they are smoothing home while other work and drive in summer heat, stay out of Boka all who are busy it is a zone of relax! And the simplest measure is a speed limit of 30 km/h with speed reduction measures like speed bumps – sleeping policemen in all village zones, beach access meaning basically everywhere in each 200 m and so to simply enforce the speed limit with physical infrastructure and remove it outside the season if this is what you want but during the crucial 2 months put many of them all along the Inner Bay road. Soon most local drivers from Herceg Novi and Kotor avoiding the Ferry will start to use it as it will be much faster and the Inner Bay road is for tourist with leisure and time no longer afraid for their life. True there are not so many deadly accidents mainly because the road allows anyhow only slow speed so 30km/h won’t be a shock but indeed there are so many angry shouting’s, near accident, desperate breaks, closes missing of families waking to the beach and people speeding by which are not part of any traffic statistic but make sure many European families never return to Boka and are happy to survive such conditions. And it is the family fathers driving who have the budgets to pay for expensive accommodation during summer who are competing on the road for safety with the resident voters who want to use the road in summer in same hyper speed as always to drink their coffee in just another coastal town or impress their girlfriends, true these are your voters but we are you costumers are we want safer roads for our family in the 2 months of the summer! Speed bumper and speed limit 30 in the Inner Bay from 2020 onwards.

9. Upper Village bypass road – build them now before all hills are full of buildings!

Well, what to do with the traffic jam from Tivat to Bar, Herceg Novi to Ulcinj? Again, the Adriatic Highway will help and again working with Croatian, Bosnia, Albanian and Kosovo road authorities and media to communicate that the inland road via Podgorica is much faster would ensure a lot of Albanian and Diaspora drivers to drive inland. But some congestion in Adriatic coastal towns might be simply unavoidable. But it really does not take an international expert to understand upper bypasses are what needs to be done like in Perast, Dobrota and Petrovac as well for Tivat, Budva, Risan and Bar. Well it might not work for all – in Kotor and Morinj it is hard to do but in Risan, Bar and Budva, Herceg Novi & Bijela it is all planned and rather simple to do. I have written about it in Smart Mobility for Montenegro One and no need to come back. I am surprised you build the access road to Cetinje first and neglect the coastal bypass for now. The longer you delay the more building up there makes the project more expensive with higher costs for land access and expropriation. Some beach shuttles and some night live shuttles to bring people from and to beaches and from and to the night life (remember – do not drink and drive !) might do wonders. Most people go to same beaches during all holiday and taking a bus is much more cost-saving than using a car in a traffic jam and paying for parking if you ever can find a parking space at the coast in summer.

10. Parking with smart pricing – higher during peak season! 0,8 offseason and 2 Euro in season

This leads to parking I have discussed this as well before but back to basics - public space is for the public but the access is payable and pricing decides the access and usage. And for the massive user meaning residents and long-time tourists who needs parking a long time reduce subscription on non-discriminatory basis meaning everybody of EU or Montenegro resident can buy it and it results in cheaper access long term but all short-term single user pays for parking and pays an amount which secures there is parking reasonable accessible for short term access. Good, what does that mean concrete?

First, all coastal Municipalities have to ensure all their area is short term parking during summer.  Second, all accommodation has to have the legal obligation to provide parking at their accommodation or pay a fine to municipalities. Better public transport from beaches can be financed with such revenue. So, Perast with 5 Euro a day in too cheap but for one hour too expensive. Porto Montenegro with 2 Euro per hour is about right in the Coastal Area. Morinj beach parking for 2 Euro per day is much too cheap. Any beer costs 2 Euro for a drink and parking a day for 2? No! And why pay 5 Euro if you stay only one hour? That is a bit excessive! So, what is needed is simple to increase the public parking fee from 80 Eurocents to 2 Euros in July and August in all coastal municipalities public and private parking and oblige all accommodation providers to build their own parking spaces or pay a fine to municipalities or to rent one for each apartment and yes you can do that legally we in Vienna call that Stellplatzverpflichtung google it. Parking at the accommodation should be included in the price of the accommodation and if you want to make excursions than you have to pay for the parking as part of your excursion budget and off-season return to 0,8 Euro.

11. Social unfair or a major burden for citizens?

Please remember that tourism is the key to Montenegro prosperity for all citizens. It is your only major industry for foreign revenue and affects all sectors from construction material to Government to agriculture to IT, simple everything depends on the money earned by tourism, accommodation and hospitality sector. So, call on the population that they know in July and August parking is expensive and organise their life accordingly and organise public administration accordingly. Nobody shall need to go to MUP or Municipality in summer – do that during the year in the time of e-Gov! Most things can be done after the summer and keep your museums open on Mondays in the tourism season! I mean I it is a tourism country and all you recent 13 years of success is funded by tourism, land sales to tourism, construction projects due to tourism – a Podgorica city boom funded by selling the coastal property to tourism investor and consumer and without tourism where would you be? And tourism season is short in Montenegro and so do all other things during the rest of the year and focus on tourism during the 60 or 75 days there is interest and consumption and simple treat tourists as the individual they are who work hardback home to spend in your amazing country and have deserved your full respect or they move to Turkey, Greece or Tunisia or Croatia.  So, a working and successful tourism sector is crucial for the welfare of pensioners and construction workers and hospital employees and please this is message to educate all population – we are not "neki turisti" but the most important lifeline of prosperity of all Montenegro so next time you meet a tourist – we are all tourists here not immigrants be friendly say hello, speak some words in English, smile at least a bit, drive carefully and do not push or bully or threaten a tourist but treat him and his family for the respect required and deserved for working hard a year to spend his and her time and money in your country. Everybody to do so is an honour and show him and her that he is welcome. And stop complaining about cruise ships, tourist just looking, high prices and overcrowding but organise your public system better to cope with the inflow and so developed from a developing country to a European Member Montenegro to which all other European are happy to bring their money and spend their time full of happy memories and not afraid of their safety and in traffic jams. And getting a prosperous tourism magnet is the only way to keep funding your pension system, your hospitably open and your welfare system running and so it is not anti-social to ask for 2 Euro per hour for parking but it is perfectly possible for poor people to take the bus during summertime or walk to the beach. And again, the hard truth the summer is for people in a summer holiday destination the main working period – it is the time everybody here should be working full time in the tourism industry and no it is not for the Montenegro youth you enjoy but to work in summer in. tourism. Ask in any Austrian Alpine ski village if the people ski in winter – if they do then as ski instructors or during some off days but during the rest of the season they are working very hard to earn for all year when their village is less in demand.

12. Invest in modern parking systems – with card payments!

Amazing Porto Montenegro has not Credit Card parking payment – investing half a billion Euro but not buying the payment option for the parking system provider what is that about? We are now in the world of contactless payments by bank cards and good and apple pay and Porto Montenegro is asking everybody to park the car and pay at a parking machine in cash!

And in Tivat Airport it is the symbol for careless management of the details – there is nothing happening when no flight but when two flight arrive at about the same time - the one parking area is so full and for leaving you have to wait for 40 min each time to pay their 80 Eurocents just because there is just one booth working to allow this payment in cash to leave the parking system? Is this European Montenegro in 2019 or Yugoslavia 1989? Anywhere in the world, there is an automated parking system with Credit Cards and in Montenegro, so do you have to have people in hot boxes collecting cash?

And it takes no new concession or major strategy to open a second booth to pay for parking, just a bit of love and care for your consumer and tourists. It is the combination and accumulation of small steps with a big impact by time which turns countries in successful tourist destinations. And again, what will you be without tourism? Montenegro would be condemned to live of its agriculture and industry and both are having very little commercial prospect without a construction industry selling flats to the world and food to consumer in restaurants frequented by tourists.  It took as in Austria 2 generations to get this touristic mentality going but visit Austria no matter what the weather the experience is great and we have amazing return figures of tourists coming back every year.

Stop complaining - make sure there is nobody complaining about you

Complaining about a bad season results in nothing – you need to make sure tourists find nothing to complain in standard public services. And be sure a day a beach with truck passing by, a city visit to magic Perast with no parking, a long wait at the border, or parking payment box or traffic jams whenever at the Highway lead to a One and Only visit mentality for Montenegro tourists – come once and great and we come back once you are ready later in the decade once you are in the EU and all of this will anyhow be done inside the EU. But please why not now and turn every tourist into an Ambassador for Montenegro -saying to everybody back home that Montenegro is not only magic and amazing but as well ready for European future by being positive experiences in all simple 12 steps as outlined above. And please implement them before the Adriatic Highway reaches Montenegro and will bring much more European tourists into driving range from the European population's centre in Central Europe.

This article is the 3rd in series to contribute to better tourism and economic development by Austrian and European best practices in transport and tourism planning and pricing. For more information about the economic part read Strategy for European Boka 2020 and transport and mobility issues read Smart Mobility Strategy RecommendationsRecommendations from 2018, still fully to be implemented.

Read more news about lifestyle in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

The Rowing Story TV series, or 'Na veslu priča', during seven years and eighty episodes in which literary authors tell stories of nature and mentality while rowing, returned to RTS - Radio Television Serbia for a direct communication with authors, spirit and nature. It also brought back the documentary tradition of a direct recording of cultural and natural heritage that is disappearing.

In the fourth season, which is currently being broadcast, after Novi Sad and Budva, the author team "What do you want" takes us to Kotor in six Rowing Story episodes, which are broadcast on the national RTS 3 channel and the RTS World satellite program from Thursday, August 1, 2019, as announced from NGO “Matica Boke”.

The author of the concept and director of the series, Rastko Šejić, says: “We met and peeked into every corner of the UNESCO-protected town of Kotor. Today, he looks more like a boardwalk for curious tourists from giant cruisers casting shade on the walls and palaces of the ancient city center.

Gift shops and passing services dominate one of the cultural centers of the region.

After all, statistics say that 70% of Montenegro's cultural treasure lies in Kotor. And that spirit feels a bit carnival. It was a joy to become aware of the fact that three cultural organizations of the 19th century continue to operate. That the Square of Arms was a Theater. Missing originals. But Kotor is still alive. Spirit and stone, cunning defends itself. How he always defended himself. We shot great people, wonderful places from land, air and water. In a political moment of unnecessary tension between Titograd and Belgrade, cooperation at the spirit level must be vital."

Creators of this ancient city spoke about it. Dejan Dedovic Deda, half of the hip-hop duo Who See, discusses the legend of the Three Sisters – Tre sorele in the story "3 in 1 love" (1 August.), and curator and writer Radojka Abramovic considers fate of the Buća family in the episode "And Souls Talk "(2 August). Faculty of Drama Art in Cetinje professor Darko Antović tells about Filip J. Kovacevic in "Idealisao "(5. August.), doctor of philology and songwriter Isidora Milivojević talks about love using her poem and poetic story "Source of modernity "(6. August). Dragan Đurčić, a longtime Yugoslav water polo worker and general secretary of the Serbian Singing Society "Jedinstvo", founded in 1839, presents the legend "Primorac" (7. Aug.) about water polo in Kotor. In a joint episode of "How Can It Be" (8/8), all actors in the Kotor series confront opinions about the modern world, creativity, ecology and mentality.

Rowing Story executive producer Željko Komnenović (Matica Boke); composer Vladimir Lesic; director of photography Aleksandar Kalezic; cinematographer Djordje Obradovic; editor Milan Pejnović; art director: Zoran Mujbegović; announcer: Aleksandar Novakovic; barkarjoli - rowers Vinko Vujovic, Filo Biskupovic, Davor Lakicevic; intro animation Kosta Milovanovic, Miroslav Spajic. Production: What You Want © 2019. wdoyouw.org, Nut Boke. Project supported by: Kotor Municipality, Kotor TO, Luka Kotor, Herceg Novi Municipality

27 July 2019 - Traffic laws in Montenegro still have not defined the use of self-balance e-scooters on public roads and that is why the Montenegrin National Police plans to launch an initiative requiring amendments to the road safety legislation. Until then, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Montenegro urges the citizens to be more careful on roads/pavements, reported CdM.

E-Scooters with electric motors are already commonly used in many cities of Montenegro, not just by children but the adults as well.

Despite many advantages, experts warn of potential dangers with powered scooters, having in mind they can travel up to 35 km/h. As they represent a completely new mode of transport on Montenegro’s roads, laws governing road safety still haven’t defined it closely, the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated.

However, the Office for Communal Affairs, Transport and Energy Efficiency for the Tivat Municipality have announced that between the hours of 7 PM and 11 PM daily, the Pine Boardwalk, Marshal Tito Street and Ivo Vizin Boardwalk will be closed to bicycles and e-scooters.

“The measure has been taken in response to an increase in the number of cycle and scooter users on the boardwalk who travel at a speed that is a real danger to pedestrians, particularly small children,” highlighted the Tivat Municipality representatives on this occasion.

Read more news about lifestyle in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

25 July 2019 - Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković met with Miguel Fluxa Rosselló, the owner and Executive President of the Iberostar Group that has been operating in our country for over ten years.

The meeting expressed mutual satisfaction with the cooperation between the Government of Montenegro and this world tourist giant, which has an annual income exceeding 2.4 billion EUR in 35 countries, generating 10% of total tourist nights in hotels and 25% in high-class hotels, as stated in the announcement by the Office of the Prime Minister of Montenegro.

The Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković and the Executive President of Iberostar Miguel Fluxa Rosselló jointly assessed that the cooperation initiated at their first meeting almost three years ago is an example of the successful implementation of the vision of sustainable tourism development and an important step forward in enriching Montenegro's tourist offer and significantly expanding the offer of this renowned company.

Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković informed the Iberostar Executive President Miguel Fluxa Rosselló about the extremely good results of this summer's tourist season saying that the number of guests in the hotels has increased and that financial indicators point to revenue growth.

The Executive President of Iberostar Miguel Fluxa Rosselló, whose company operates in Herceg Novi, Perast and Bečići, expressed interest in further improvement of the Montenegrin offer and expansion of business in our country and in the region. In that sense, concrete steps have been agreed on increasing the number of airlines flying to Montenegro and further improvement of our utility infrastructure.

Read more news about business in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

July 19, 2019 - Roman Night 2019 will be organized on Sunday, 28 July in Risan, by the Tourist Organization of Kotor. The event will be held for the first time and it will take place at Risan promenade and market, starting at 8 p.m, as announced from the Tourist Organization.

Roman Night is conceived as an ancient Risan festival that will bring the public closer to the importance of archaeology in tourism and enrich the cultural and tourist offer of Risan and Boka Kotorska. The aim of the event is to connect the content that will be developed from relaxing entertainment activities (food, drinks, souvenir sales, pedagogical workshops) through more active learning and dating of the ancient colony (dress culture, hairstyle) to professional performers shows (fighting gladiators, slave sales, dance with fire) in the best way.

The idea is to have many themes: fun, jewellery, clothing, gastronomy, crafts, games and the programme will be divided into animations for children, entertainment and gastro.

 The programme for children, with the engagement of animator "Event Montenegro" will introduce Roman games, such as fighting with swords and shields, rope withdrawal, throwing walnuts into the amphora and more.

A large number of gifts and surprises will be waiting for younger participants and all the participants will have the opportunity to get Roman hairstyles and dress in a Roman-style with a laurel-leaf on their head. A small gladiator school will be organized by Medieval Kotor. Medieval Kotor is a group within the non-governmental organization for the preservation of the cultural heritage of Kotor and Montenegro, which deals with historical constructions of crafts, tools, clothing, weapons and tools, technologies and other segments of life.

Andrija Ramadanović from Kotor will be in charge to represent the "gladiator" and "spata" type of Roman swords. He is the owner of "Romada" Collection, which has over 200 copies of handmade cold weapons from 8th century B.C. to 20th century A.D. For this occasion, nine specimens of swords had been chosen.

Peter and Eva Martinović, founders of the old crafts studios, who successfully sell handmade ceramic products for 15 years will be presented the same evening. At Rome Night, they will feature unique ceramics created by their memory and imagination.

The guests will also be members of the "Narona" Archaeological Museum from Metković, who will present roman jewellery in front of the museum and will also feature the film "Roman Night in Narona".

This museum has been built on the ruins of the Roman Temple and is unique by its specific finds of 17 marble sculptures. In addition to its numerous awards, the museum was specially awarded for the contribution to the enrichment of Croatia's tourist offer.

Sixteen performers will feature at Rome Night, dressed as centurions, standard-bearers and Roman legionaries. Gladiator battles with adequate gladiator equipment will also be shown, with the participation of 4 trained gladiators. This programme will be featured by Diocletian's Legion, the Association from Croatia.

The fire show will be organized with small props (candles, orbs, then), then with large props (sticks, bells, snakes), fire-blowing as well as volcanoes and pyrotechnics that will light up a few meters in diameter and enrich the program. The Haos animators from Serbia have been engaged for this part of the show.

A lecture on Roman culture will be held by archaeologist Mrs. Vilma Kovačević, and also a mini quiz.

For the gastro section, the association "Women of Risan" and the NGO "Karampana" from Kotor will be in charge, so that the visitors will get the chance to enjoy Roman delicacies.

The programme moderator will be Dolores Fabijan.

The project has been supported by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, as stated by the Tourist Organization of Kotor.

18 July 2019 - Kotor took the second place on the list of the most attractive eastern Mediterranean destinations for cruise travels created by Cruise Critic, the leading cruise reviews and information site which hosts the largest cruise community in the world.

According to the reviews of the users of the services of companies that organize cruise trips, Kotor is in second place, immediately after Venice. The news was officially announced by the team of the world's leading website for the evaluation of this type of cruise trips - Cruise Critic, which is visited by more than six million people each month.

The second place on the Top-Rated Eastern Mediterranean Destinations 2019 list is Kotor's best achievement in the history of this rating, since the best result so far has been reached last year, when the city occupied the third place, reports Tourist Organisation of Kotor Municipality.

The users of the services of companies that organize cruise trips evaluated the city from different aspects, and out of a total of 722 ratings, 573 indicate that the experience of passengers during their stay in Kotor was excellent, 210 very good, 55 average, 13 poor and 14 bad.

In the comments, as a reason for the excellent results, Kotor visitors said they were delighted with the city's historic core, port services and the view from the city walls, and some called this the best family journey in life.

“The cruise into Kotor is breathtaking as you are surrounded on both sides by huge moutains, very much like the Norwegian fjords but with full sun. The town itself is fortified with cobble stone streets and quaint shops. The locals are very friendly and the atmosphere is tranquil. We will definitely return here for a short break very soon. The price of food and drink is very low compared to Dubrovnik and everywhere else,” said one of the critics. They added that the tours were “amazing” and that they were ”blown away by Kotor and Perast’s beauty and serenity”.

The first place on the list of destinations in the east of the Mediterranean is still Venice, then Kotor followed by Dubrovnik, Split and Rhodes.

Read more information on the reasons you should visit Montenegro for your next holiday at TMN's dedicated page.

"Mali pirat" (8+), directed by Milan Karadzic, won a particularly valuable prize, the "Dragan Radulovic" award, last night at the completed 27th Kotor Children's Theater Festival. The performance, done by the City Theater in co-production with the “Center for Culture” Tivat, shares this recognition equally with the Spanish piece "2062."

"Since the city's key has been in the hands of children for the past 12 days, we have given ourselves the right to change the rules of the game. We decided to share the Children's Jury Award on two performances this year for the first time. For our childhood, it is important that we live the fairy tales in the theatre, but also that the theater sometimes encourages us to think about the world in which we live. Therefore, the Award of the Children's Jury, which carries the name of our Dragan Radulovic, this year will be equally shared by the plays: "Mali Pirat", by Podgorica City Theater and the Culture Center Tivat, and "2062" based on the concept and performance of our dear guests from Spain, Karla Krac and Andres Beladiez," stated the explanation of the Children's Jury.

This year, the children in Kotor enjoyed a variety of professional performances for kids and youth, of different genres, from 1 to 12 July, and 12 of them were in the competition segment of the festival. The award of the Professional Jury this year was won by the Scottish performance "Feral" by Rosa Mekeja, in the co-production of the Tortoise In A Nutshell theatre and Cumbernauld Theater, while the award of the “Kotor Jury” for the best performance as a whole went to the Youth Theater from Novi Sad for the performance "Beauty and the Beast ".

The play "Mali pirat" is an adventure story, which, according to the motives of the novel by Anto Stanisic, was dramatized by Aleksandar Glovacki. The performance was made in the form of a musical with elements of comedy and melodrama. The action took place in the 18th century when pirates were raiding the sea. In the play, among other things, the life of the sailors from Boka and their customs from that time were depicted. In addition to exciting and dramatic events, the story also sends a strong message of love, both towards other people and nations and to the family.

Cast: Pavle Popović, Goran Slavić, Miloš Kašćelan, Jelena Đukić, Miloš Pejović, Marija Maša Labudović, Dubravka Drakić, Pavle Ilić, Sanja Popović, Branko Ilić, Marija Đurić, Jelena Simić, Katarina Krek, Branka Femić-Šćekić, Omar Bajramspahić, Ivan Kašćelan; girls from weddings / slaves: Vladana Mišević, Mia Kuč, Dušica Rovčanin, Stefanija Brčić, Đorđa Čolo, Borjana Obrenović, Jelena Knežević; ; boys from the wedding / sailors / pirates: Aleksa Balević, Filip Petrović, Antonio Grgurović, Nikola Mrvaljević, Mirko Ognjanović.

In addition to the directors Milan Karadzic and Aleksandar Glovacki, the author's team included costume designer Dragica Lausevic, composer Irena Popovic-Dragovic, assistant composer Aleksandar Zavisin, choreographer Nebojsa Gromic, scenographer Boris Maksimovic and dramatist Dubravka Drakic. The lighting design was done by Radomir Stamenkovic, and the songs written by Dubravka Drakic and Neven Stanicic. The lector is Neven Stanicic.

Text by CdM, on July 13th, 2019, read more at CdM

On the square in front of the St. Tripun Cathedral, the 18th edition of KotorArt Don Branko's Days of Music opened. The program of the ceremonial opening had the thematic title "Art of Remembrance", on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Montenegro and the entry of Kotor on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Don Branko's Days of music was opened by the Minister of Culture Aleksandar Bogdanovic, who emphasized the incredible significance of the KotorArt festival as a unique event in our country.

"Impressive is the fact that this year's KotorArt festival brings together four program units, numerous participants from different countries, conventional, as well as programs that examine the boundaries of the genre. All of this has given a special quality to this festival, which, among other things, has become a kind of workshop for music, stage and theoretical researches. This is exactly what KotorArt makes as a brand of Montenegrin culture, raising it above the atrophied festival retrospectives. And at tonight's opening, we will have the opportunity to get acquainted with one original piece, which is the result of the artistic search in the field of music, whose creators and performers are Montenegrin artists of the younger generation. What distinguishes the music segment of KotorArt, Don Branko's days of music, from the music festivals in the environment, which are dominantly based on artistic music, is a creative and productive dimension, that is, ordered pieces by composers from our area, whose premiere performances are just before us," he said.

The Ministry of Culture has recognized the great importance of KotorArt even this year, which, Bogdanovic said, will always be a practice, bearing in mind the importance and quality of the program.

 "Expressing my satisfaction gained from the revelation of the unknown and unrepeatable, with a feeling of friendly affection, I would like to once again remind you about the willingness of the Ministry of Culture for any form of cooperation in the further development of KotorArt, primarily in the field of international affirmation of Montenegrin culture. Furthermore, because this festival established a good practice of cooperation, both domestic and foreign artists, as well as young talents with world-renowned artists. In the end, I would like to thank all the artists, producers and organizers and wish them successful festival days, and to the audience, new excitement and new discoveries, to which KotorArt already has used. In that name, we remember Don Branko Sbutega tonight and once again announce the beginning of this artistic festival with his words "Let the bells ring", concluded Bogdanovic. The CEO of KotorArt Ratimir Martinovic also greeted the public.

"I sincerely believe, and I teach my students and share it with everyone I know, that the only real, sustainable and long-lasting way is the one on which we maintain gratitude and astonishment to the moment of life, the one way in which in everything we see a good chance for progress. Victories and defeats do not exist, as the great Nikola Tesla says, neither life nor death exists. There is no time, but only countless moments out of which most of them, unfortunately, pass by us," stressed Martinovic, and emphasized that when you stop admiring and giving thanks, you stop living a dedicated life, which is the only guarantee of quality at that moment.

Meanwhile, during the last evening, the compositions that the Festival ordered from the author were premiered. Therefore, Ivan Marovic wrote the composition "Kotor 1979", while Nina Perovic composed the piece "Views". At the opening, the Festival Orchestra of KotorArt was conducted by Julio Maric, and sopranos Marijana Sovran, Oliver Ticevic, Milica Milanovic and the hip-hop band “Who See” performed.

Text by CdM, on July 15th 2019, read more at CdM