27 March 2019 - There are many reasons why you'd want to visit Montenegro, the most beautiful coastline, dramatic history, the mountains that rear up to meet the sea and a crystal clear bay. Still, this country has recently worked on significant improvements in the number and quality of hotels, so now is a great time to visit this Mediterranean gem and enjoy the luxury that leads to a perfect holiday.

According to the recent data published by the Ministry of Sustainable Development, the number of hotels in Montenegro in 2018 increased by 25.

The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism stated that the newly opened facilities that have 1985 units in total are mostly luxury high-class hotels.

Within the reports by the Ministry, it is explained that six new hotels built in 2018 have a service that meets five star standards and nine hotels have four stars. In the total number of new hotels, 24% of all units meet the requirements of five-star services, and 36% meet those of the four-star hotels.

"The number of beds in five-star hotels is 50,48 per cent of the total unit number, and the beds in four-star hotels make up 21 per cent of the total number of beds in hotels that started working in 2018," the Ministry's document said.

The newly opened hotels include Perla Residence (Podgorica), Hotel Rivijera – Iberostar (Herceg Novi), Hotel Jadran – Iberostar (Perast), Hotel Holliday Village Montenegro (Ulcinj), Hotel Chedi – Luštica Bay (Tivat) and Hotel Lazaret (Herceg Novi).

Furthermore, when it comes to the categories that foreign tourists at the global level mostly look for in Montenegro, eight hotels have three stars and two facilities have two stars.

The Ministry believes that the growth of the structure of accommodation capacities of high category, as the most important segment of the tourist product, has been particularly contributed by numerous stimulus measures.

These stimulus measures include the abolition of the obligation to pay utility bills for building a four and five star hotel, reducing annual real estate tax to 30 per cent for hotels with four stars, reducing annual real estate tax up to 70 per cent for five-star hotels in priority tourist sites, and lifting the obligation to pay an import VAT for products and services related to the construction of five-star hotels and a low VAT rate of only 7 per cent for hotel accommodation.

23 March 2019 - A delegation of Chinese businesspeople, led by the President of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shanghai Sub-Council, Yang Jianrong and Secretary General of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce will come to Tivat on official business from 28 to 30 March.

During their stay in Tivat, the representatives of the aforementioned Chinese associations will speak with the most important Montenegrin businessmen and representatives of international investors, companies "Luštica Development", "Adriatic Marinas" and "Qatary Diar", and will have official meetings at the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro.

"This is a great honor, not only for Tivat, but also for Montenegro," said Petar Vujović, secretary of the Secretariat for Tourism and Entrepreneurship of Tivat Municipality, who is also the main initiator of the visit of this high-level economic delegation.

As stated in the Tivat municipality statement, after their official visit to Shanghai in 2015, Tivat's local government has concluded a twinning relationship with one of the richest areas in Shanghai - the Jiading district."This contract marked the beginning of our fruitful cooperation with China. For the third year in a row, we are successfully organizing the exchange of our high school students and their peers from Shanghai. Each year, our students are participating in the Chinese summer camp organized in Shanghai, and we managed to connect our Faculty of Mediterranean Business Studies with Chinese University "Zhejiang Wanli" from the Chinese city of Ningbo, which has over 20,000 students, "emphasized Vujović.

He added that economic cooperation has so far been lacking. "Finally, our longstanding persistence and almost everyday communication with our friends from China paid off. The numerous calls that we have sent to Chinese businessmen to come and visit Tivat and Montenegro resulted in this official visit, and for that, we are very pleased," Vujović stressed during an interview for News Agency Boka News.

He is convinced that the meeting of the Mayor of Siniša Kusovac with the Chinese delegation, investors and domestic businessmen, who expressed their desire to establish economic cooperation with China, will be a kind of "springboard" for economic integration of Tivat enterprises with Chinese businessmen.

The delegation from China will have the opportunity to visit the site of two most important investment projects in the territory of the municipality of Tivat - Porto Montenegro and Luštica Bay. Thanks to the efforts of Tivat municipality's representatives, the Chinese guests will also have a meeting with the representatives of the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro, where they will sign a memorandum on cooperation between the arbitration boards of Montenegro and Shanghai.

March 22, 2019 - Porto Montenegro hosts the second stage of the 3rd European Match Race Tour, which is in the waters of the Tivat Bay from 22 to 24 March. The European Match Race Tour (ETMR), which consists of seven stations and a grand finale, is the new Match Race format designed to promote duel sailing and affirmation of younger sailors to compete and progress worldwide, reported from Porto Montenegro.

Of the ten participating teams, eight sailors are in the top 100 in the world ranking of sailing races. Ettore Botticini from Italy is 4th in the world, Mati Sepp from Estonia takes 6th place and Dejan Presen from Slovenia 14th. Porto Montenegro Yacht Club (PMYC) is hosting six teams that will sail for the first time in Montenegro while the other four teams have been in our waters before. 

PMYC has been selected as an EMRT station because of its excellence and perfection in the organisation of the regatta, especially when it comes to two-legged sailing, excellent facilities and sailing conditions in the Tivat Bay Aquatorium.

While many of the tour stops were already hosts in previous editions, among them also Porto Montenegro in Tivat, the 2019 tour visits Italy's Lago di Ledro and Romania's black sea town Limanu for the first time. The hosts of the 2019 Grand Final will be Croatia's beautiful sailing city of Sibenik in October. Last year's Grand Final was sailed in Tivat waters.

The tour 2019 consists of the proven and well-known format as in the previous two editions. Europe's best skippers can earn points at seven qualifying events to qualify themselves for the Grand Final with double points. Besides, there are also a separate U23 ranking and U23 European Tour champion as well as a women’s only ranking list. These two ranking lists and titles shall highlight the diversity of match racing in Europe and be a stepping stone for young and up-and-coming teams into the match racing circuit.

The opening event was traditionally in Sibenik on the Dalmatian coast, where skippers had the chance to try out the conditions for the season finale. The next stage is taking place a bit further south the Adriatic coastline at Tivat's Porto Montenegro followed by the stop-over on Austria's Lake Neusiedl before heading south again to Romania for the first visit of the picturesque fishermen town of Limanu. Two events on the Baltic will follow – Gothenburg in Sweden and Swinoujscie in Poland – before the last game of round one in Italy's match race Eldorado at Ledro. The tour will finish with the Grand Final 2019 at Sibenik in Mid-October.

"We are very excited about the 2019 calendar, and we look forward to defending our title," explained Piotr Harasimowicz, the winner of the 2018 European Match Race Tour. "We believe the format is great and again many of Europe's best match race skippers will take part in it!"

European Match Race Tour Calendar:
21-23 February: Sibenik, CRO
22-24 March: Tivat, MNE
12-14 April: Lake Neusiedl, AUT
03-05 May: Limanu, ROU
25-26 May: Gothenburg, SWE
21-23 June: Swinoujscie, POL
29 Aug – 1 Sept: Lago di Ledro, ITA
Mid-October: Sibenik, CRO (Grand Final)

Source: Porto Montenegro European Match Race Announcement, European Match Race Official Website

March 21, 2019 - In cooperation with the Secretariat for Tourism and Entrepreneurship of the Tivat Municipality, Lustica Development organizes a two-day bazaar of local food, agricultural products, and handicrafts, "Meet the Spring," which will be held in the marina village of Lustica Bay over the weekend.

"Lustica Development company has continued the tradition of promoting domestic and autochthonous products abounding in our Tivat and Boka Kotorska. After successfully organizing the event called "Fall Colors Fair" at the end of last year, Lustica Development Company accepted our initiative to organize a similar event this spring with a joint effort, this time symbolizing the coming of spring. As we have been doing since the establishment of this Secretariat, the emphasis will be on promoting local agricultural producers. About 20 of the registered participants, along with the Institute of Healthy Organic Food, and the Agrovit company from Podgorica, will have the opportunity to promote their products during the two-day event services," said Tivat Petar Vujović, secretary for tourism and entrepreneurship yesterday.

On the second day of the event educational workshops in the field of organic agriculture are planned.

"A special attraction for this event will be the gifted and entrepreneurial students of the Drago Milović Elementary School and the "Mladost "Secondary School", which will show on their booths all what their marvelous hands have created over the past few months. I want to point out that the Municipality of Tivat and the Secretariat for Tourism and Entrepreneurship pay particular attention to the children, trying to develop their entrepreneurial spirit from their little feet. We should know that systems and cultures are formed during early childhood, and for this reason, primary education plays an important role in the development of entrepreneurial competence. The role of the municipality is that, by encouraging children to be born from the earliest age, we develop responsibility, creativity and what is most important - self-confidence," Vujovic said.

Among the individual exhibitors who will perform at the fair in Lustica Bay are producers of cheese, brandy, wintergreen, sweet, honey, soap, and medicinal herbs. Their products will also offer producers of fruits, vegetables, domestic wine, juices, and oils.

18 March 2019 - Croatian multinational oil company “INA - Industrija nafte, d.d.” recently expanded its retail network in Montenegro by purchasing five petrol stations from the company “Pavgord CG d.o.o.”, and after launching all new facilities, it now manages 11 gas stations in Montenegro. This purchase will increase the market share of INA – Industrija nafte d.d. to around 15 per cent, according to the recent statement by the company’s PR service.

The purchased facilities are located in Kotor (in Radanovići and Škaljari), Podgorica, Bijelo Polje and Mojkovac, while INA – Industrija nafte d.d. already has a network of existing locations in Podgorica, Tivat and Pljevlja.

According to News Agency BokaNews, the transaction for the purchase of five retail locations of Pavgord CG, which value is not stated in the announcement, was approved by the regulator for the protection of market competition. These petrol stations are valuable for their desired locations and associated structures, especially stations in the coastal cities of Tivat and Kotor.

With this business move, the company INA further improved its position on the Montenegrin market. Compared to 2017, when INA had a 1% market share, its market share will now reach about 15%.

Management board of INA – Industrija nafte d.d. made this business decision based on a solid knowledge of market conditions in Montenegro, with the aim of further building a leading regional position that could have a positive impact on the company’s business and the placement of its high quality products in that market, said the official statement by the PR service. Also, the company plans to further expand the retail network on the Montenegrin market by introducing a wide range of services, such as the gastronomic concept Fresh Corner.

"Previous business experience tells us that buyers in Montenegro value the quality of INA's fuel and other products and services. Therefore, in the medium term, we want to become one of the most important “players” in the Montenegrin retail market of derivatives. This transaction is in line with INA’s strategy to strengthen its position as a leading regional brand, "said Darko Markotić, Operations Manager of Customer Service for INA Company.

As reported by the company, INA now employs about 150 workers in Montenegro country, with the possibility of increasing their number in the future.

14 March 2019 - “Shop local and seasonal at our pop up food market, meet the producers and learn about organic agriculture around Luštica peninsula," says the invitation by Luštica Bay representatives for their weekend event Hello Spring!

A two-day local food market named  Hello Spring will be held on Saturday and Sunday, March 23 and 24 from 10 am to 6 pm, at the promenade in the marina settlement Luštica Bay, in Krtoli near Tivat.

The organisers of the food and home-made local products bazaar, the company Luštica Development and the Secretariat for Tourism and Entrepreneurship of the Municipality of Tivat, provided participation for 20 agricultural producers, as well as members of the entrepreneurial section of Elementary School "Drago Milić" and High School "Mladost" from Tivat, Institute for healthy (organic) food - Agrovita, and the producers of Agro Cluster Nikšić.

Numerous producers of cheese, brandy, pickled vegetables, sugar-dipped fruit, honey, soap and herbs from the Bay of Kotor and the surrounding area will be exhibiting their products at the fair. These individual exhibitors include Olga Ovčar, Vidak Tomašević, Julka Radmanović, Predrag Klakor, Mile Dačević, Rašo Miljančić and others. The bazaar offers will also add fruits, vegetables, various types of wine, juice and oil, brought to the fair by Bosiljka Vuksanović, Ethno village "Đedovina", Đorđije Bulajić, Vebija Abazović, Vesna Pavić Mamula, Gvozden Kankaraš and Jelena Pejanović.

Andrej Zasidko will display vegetable bouquets and other handicrafts. Olive products will be presented by the Moric family, as one of the entrepreneurial visionaries on the Luštica peninsula and one of the first individuals from the peninsula to put into operation his long family heritage.

This weekend event that promotes domestic production will also offer a special program for the youngest visitors that includes drawing, painting and competition games, a show of local gastronomic delicacies and education by the producers.

All exhibitors and visitors of the bazaar will have the opportunity to learn more about agricultural tourism, agricultural clusters and Montenegrin food brands by attending the seminars of agricultural production experts - Ilija Moric, Đorđe Bulajić and Svetozar Radonjić.

11 March 2019 - Johnny Depp and the 200 members of the Minamata movie team have traveled to Montenegro and they are currently staying in Tivat, as reported by Radio Tivat. Johnny Depp and his movie crew are in Montenegro for the production of the Minamata movie, which will include numerous scenes from the life of American photographer W. Eugene Smith on the Island of Flowers, the Tivat Župa and the Kalardovo Beach.

They came in Tivat with a private jet and the movie crew and the main actor himself are in a positive mood, and they are also planning to stay for a whole week, with the exception that they can stay for a few days more.

"Depp loved the recent movie set location change and he already said that Montenegro is a beautiful country. He also emphasized that moving to the sea after production in Belgrade feels good for him," said a source close to the movie crew.

The representatives of the Municipality of Tivat did not want to reveal any details, because they are prohibited from doing so based on the cooperation agreement between the city officials and the movie crew. However, the thing that is almost certain for sure is that the actor is currently residing in Porto Montenegro's most luxurious resort, which includes endless sigh sights.

The main production of the movie already began in Japan, while the movie set was moved to Serbia in January. During this occasion, the Mayor of Tivat Kusovac said that the interest of productions behind big film achievements is a significant opportunity for the global promotion of Tivat.

"We are interested in filming in Tivat, and so far it has been a practice to assist in administrative and booking and location arrangements. In that respect, we will provide maximum support," the Mayor of Tivat said.

During his stay in Serbia, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić has met Hollywood star, Johnny Depp. Vučić thanked Depp because “he believed in Serbia” and decided to produce and act in it, according to accounts.

Only a few days earlier, he was seen in Belgrade in shots uploaded to the group’s social media channel as he posed with Ivana Nikolić, member of the newly-formed band, hinting the two had met earlier and this was a friendly catch up with the whole crew. In a cozy shot, Ivana captioned the photo: ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean together’.

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Pirates of the Caribbean together ? #music #hurricanegirls #hurricane #johnnydepp #caribbean

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Minamata is predicated on the e-book by Aileen Mioko Smith and W. Eugene Smith and tailored by David Ok. Kessler (The Exhausting Day's Day). The redemptive thriller, an actual story of David versus the story of Goliath, smashes Smith towards a strong company liable for poisoning folks from Minamata – Japan in 1971. Minamata is a narrative extraordinarily emotional Because the highly effective images of a person has hit the world to take motion.

With the glory of the times of World Battle II behind him, Smith (Depp) turned a prisoner, disconnected from society and his profession. However, an outdated pal and a fee from the editor of "Life Journal" (Nighy) persuade him to journey to Japan to show an excellent story: the devastating annihilation of a coastal group, the victims of company greed and the native police and accomplices. Armed with solely his trusted digital camera, Smith should acquire the boldness of this struggling group and discover the photographs that can convey historical past to the World.

March 9, 2019 - The Tourist Organization of Tivat is present at the most considerable ITB Travel and Tourism fair in Berlin, representing the rich tourist offer of the town for the upcoming season.

05 March 2019 - On the occasion of the World Energy Efficiency Day (March 6), the sixth assembly of the network "CIVINET Slovenia – Croatia – South East Europe" was held in Tivat, Montenegro. The goal of this network is to reduce pollution in cities through a sustainable transport system - with cycling, hiking, and public transport. This summer, at the network assembly, the representatives of Tivat Municipality announced the establishment of a sea line service between the cities of Bay of Kotor which will run with new electric ships.

CIVINET Slovenia – Croatia – South East Europe was established in 2013 as a network of cities and other stakeholders from neighbouring countries that deal with sustainable mobility planning and traffic management. The objective of the system is knowledge sharing and good practice exchange as well as the implementation of partner projects which are meant to finance future sustainable mobility activities. The activities of the organisation include networking and all forms of cooperation (which are crucial for more effective solving of urban traffic and mobility problems), from the exchange of experience, knowledge, and ideas to joint participation and synergy of the cities, thus enabling better usage of EU funds.

At the assembly, it was noted that Tivat has just over 14,000 inhabitants, but the city managed to initiate and realize significant projects in improving energy efficiency.

"Our goal is for Tivat to continue its development as a city which priorities include balanced economic development, spatial planning, and environmental protection. In this regard, in the past ten years, the Municipality of Tivat has been putting great effort into work in the field of sustainable mobility by introducing various models that show results," said the Mayor of Tivat Siniša Kusovac at the opening of the 6th Assembly of CIVINET and the round table on sustainable mobility that is being held in Tivat in cooperation with the network for sustainable movement in the cities of Slovenia, Croatia and South East Europe.

As the Mayor of Tivat explained, in 2018, the local government of Tivat Municipality paid special attention to promoting the use of alternative means of transport, to the temporary suspension of traffic to “return the roads” to pedestrians and cyclists, and continuing education of children and youth on this subject. “We are also successful in the field of EU funds, from which we managed to reconstruct a significant part of public lighting and build solar collectors on the roof of the Sports Hall. We have several new complete projects for which we hope will be competitive enough in terms of EU funds, "Kusovac added.

The round table on sustainable mobility also presented projects of electromobility in Montenegro and many other projects. On the occasion of World Energy Efficiency Day, the distribution of LED bulbs and promotional materials to citizens was organized in front of the municipal building.

February 5, 2019 -  The municipality of Tivat Manager, Marko Petricevic confirmed that investors are interested in investing in the tourist complex Sveti Marko, which the company "Metropol" of the Russian oligarch Mihail Slipenčuk brought ten years ago.