06 August 2019 - Due to incredible interest, Air Serbia will increase the number of flights between Belgrade and Tivat. By the end of August, there will be 26 flights per week. Passengers will have almost 2.000 seats at their disposal in the Airbus and ATR aircraft. The Serbian national carrier introduced direct flights between Niš and Tivat on 16 July. From today until the beginning of winter season, flights will be operating three times per week.

Representatives of the Air Serbia stated that their company is committed to developing air traffic with Montenegro, as CdM reports.

“Tivat and Podgorica are out most frequent destinations, with 216 return flights in August. Increased flight intensity comes as no surprise considering that Tivat is a very popular tourist destination. We firmly believe that we will make trips so much easier for our passengers,” said CEO of Air Serbia Duncan Naysmith.

Danilo Orlandić, CEO of the Airports of Montenegro, said that Air Serbia was a very important partner for Montenegro. Last year they transported over 245.000 passengers to and from Montenegro.

“That number is going to be higher this year, especially thanks to the new Niš-Tivat line. That will contribute to the improvement of our economy. We expect that the Airports of Montenegro will serve 2,6 million passengers,” pointed out Orlandić.

Serbian national air carrier and Airports of Montenegro have been cherishing successful partnership for decades.

Recently, the latest annual report of Airport Council International was published, which states that the Airports of Montenegro significantly boosted air accessibility. The report suggests that Tivat Airport is among the leading growing destinations with 352 per cent growth rate, Executive Director of the Airports of Montenegro Danilo Orlandić stated.

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

Jovanka Lalicic, MP and member of the DPS Tivat Municipal Committee, was elected president of the Tivat Municipal Committee by the newly formed Tivat Democratic Party of Socialists Municipal Committee, the party announced. She was elected unanimously.

Jovanka Lalicic received the consent of the Presidency of the Party after it took a unique and principled stance on deaccumulation and the inability of the President of the Municipal Committee to be the President of the Municipality at the same time.

The session was attended by Predrag Nenezic, Coordinator on behalf of the Presidency of the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro and Goran Jevric, Coordinator on behalf of the Executive Board of the DPS of Montenegro.

Jovanka Lalicic thanked the former President of the Municipal Committee as well as the members of the Municipal Committee for their unanimous support and emphasized that she was honored with the confidence given, which additionally obliges her to perform this responsible function in a quality manner and exclusively in the interest of the Party.

At the session of the Municipal Board after the decision on the method of election and the number of members of the Executive Board was adopted, the Municipal Board unanimously, at the proposal of the President of the Municipal Committee, also elected a new Executive Committee.

Explaining the criteria for the composition of the Executive Board, Jovanka Lalicic emphasized that one of the principles used to nominate candidates was precisely the deaccumulation of functions, but also respect for the principles of national, gender and territorial representation.

Coordinator Predrag Nenezic, expressed his satisfaction with the job done - the election of a new Municipal Committee, the President, but also the composition of the new Executive Committee. He is convinced that the new leadership of the party will continue with the successful implementation of the party's programs and goals, which will result in even greater citizen confidence and better results in the upcoming elections.

At the session, members of the Municipal Committee were briefed on the documents for the preparation of the upcoming DPS Congress, which will be held in November this year - concludes the announcement of MC DPS Tivat.

Gornja Lastva village in Tivat celebrates its 45th traditional festivity tonight.
“I invite both tourists and locals to come. Everything is ready for the traditional Gornja Lastva Festivity. It is not a small number of years and it seems to me that we have succeeded in passing on our love for the village to others, " said Marija Nikolic of the KZU - Cultural Heritage Association "Napredak", which is the organizer of the 45th festivity.

"The festivity starts at 9 pm in Gornja Lastva. For 45 years now we have more or less the same programme, so someone might assume, just at first, that it is not interesting. But it is a tried and tested recipe that catches your attention. When something lasts for 45 years, it is worth something. Having an audience means it's good. And the festivity combines several traditions. GPD Tivat – Tivat Music Education Society with more than 100 years of existence, including the Boka Navy (founded in 809), our intangible good, and the KZU Napredak, NGO which this year marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the first cultural society in Gornja Lastva.

The Croatian Tamburitza Society "Napredak" was founded in 1919, and its work has been continued to this day. Countries have changed, the name has changed, but the society remained here for a hundred years. Many traditions combined in one village that also represents the pearl of rural architecture. That tradition is not a burden to us, on the contrary, we are doing our job. We cherish heritage in all its segments. We don't look at the past in an idyllic way, but the past needs to be nurtured and preserved. Because it is a part of us."

When it comes to tonight’s programme, the Boka Navy - Tivat Branch, will dance the traditional Boka Dance in front of St. Mary's Parish Church accompanied by GPD - Tivat Music and Education Society. The “Posters of the Lastva Festival” exhibition will also be opened.
The official part is followed by a party with the band "Next" from Omiš, which made a good atmosphere last year.
"I am convinced that it will also be the case tonight. It will be comfortable in Gornja Lastva at 300 meters above sea level. This year, the sponsor of the Lastva Festivity is the Municipality of Tivat, which is co-financing it through the Decision to fund cultural events of importance to the municipality. We are happy that the importance has been recognized and we are grateful for the support.
By the way, since the beginning of the summer we have organized 3 concerts in the village. One was dedicated to klapa singing, the other to jazz music under the full moon, and the third one was for classical music lovers.,” said Marija Nikolić.
The next concert will be held on August 12th, when jazz music will be back. Napredak is preparing a rich, diverse program that promotes 100 years of society, for September.

03 August 2019 - The American billionaire and the founder of Microsoft Corporation, Bill Gates, is on a family cruise with his wife, Melinda, and their three children on the Adriatic coast of Montenegro.

Mr Gates, accompanied by his wife, Melinda, and three children, came to Montenegro by his super-yacht Lady S docked in front of Kotor and Risan until 28 July, when the Gates family decided to visit Sveti Stefan and then Porto Montenegro.  Anchored in front of the old town of Kotor, the yacht attracted the attention of locals and tourists alike, but the identity of the family was kept strictly confidential throughout their stay in Montenegro. According to unofficial information, Gates was seen swimming at Risan, while several guests of the five-star Regent Hotel in Porto Montenegro allegedly saw him and his family resting and playing tennis. Guests of the hotel reported that Gates and his group were very unassuming, reports The Dubrovnik Times. A ninety-three-meter long yacht which costs an amazing 1.4 million USD a week to charter, on which Bill Gates’ family is cruising, was accompanied by a smaller boat with a helicopter on deck.

According to CdM, American millionaire Daniel Snyder was also seen in Montenegro in the company of the second richest man in the world. Snyder is the majority owner of the Washington football team, the Washington Redskins, the founder of Snyder Communications and the primary investor in Red Zebra Broadcasting. The reporters also learned that Gates and Snyder had dinner together on August 3^rd, at the luxurious Nobu restaurant on Sveti Stefan, Budva.

According to Pobjeda daily, on Wednesday Bill Gates visited several eye-catching localities in the north of the country, among other things, the Đurđevića Tara Bridge and tried zip lining above Tara river canyon. After that, he experienced the Tara River by rafting.

As many bodyguards surrounded them, reporters couldn't approach them or take photos. The billionaire hasn’t commented to the media or allowed any photographers to come closer.

“According to those who saw them, Bill Gates and his family are simple and spontaneous people, they enjoyed the outstanding natural beauty of Tivat and the Boka Bay and tourist offer of Porto Montenegro,” writes Vijesti daily. Gates allegedly arrived in Montenegro from Croatia.

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.

“It is an honour for our guests and visitors to refine their summer holidays in Tivat and Montenegro this August through these two glamorous occasions. The Full Moon Dinner is already a tradition, but this month's crown is nevertheless the gala dinner created by Juan Amador - a proud owner of 3 Michelin stars. These nights will push the border of gastronomic events at the Regent Hotel this summer, and the fifth anniversary of our work deserves that. It was preceded by a party honouring the completion of the Baia Wing,” Kai Dieckmann, general manager of the Regent Hotel said.

The third outdoor party will follow on August 22nd and will be hosted by Maso Cekic - an experienced gastronomic journalist from Tivat, who will reflect the cuisine of Tivat and Boka Kotorska on the terrace of Gourmet Corner through several types of pasta and risotto.

Gramophone and shisha lovers will have the opportunity to enjoy vinyl records with a special bar on the 9th and 23rd of August at the Regent Hotel's Italian Garden. The depths of the Adriatic are the inspiration for the grill party, which will take place on August 2nd and 16th and will feature mainly fish specialties on the menu.

Outdoor dinners will be held every Thursday at the Gourmet Corner, where live pastas and risotto will be prepared on the terrace - an ideal option for a light dinner after the beach and before sunrise. Gin lovers will have the chance to try their favourite combination at the gin bar, available daily from 6:00 pm. The innovative selection of cocktails this year is led by the Cocktail "Sunshine", which has been inspired by the sunrise in Boka Kotorska.

Breastfeeding is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August during World Breastfeeding Week to encourage it and improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by government policymakers, WHO, UNICEF and other organizations to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.                                                                                                                           

Teresa Kis from Tivat NGO "I Support Breastfeeding" says for TMN that this is a very important item in the health chain, for both the child and the mother. NGO “Center for Counseling and Personal Development” received €15,665 for the project “Breastfeeding School - Tivat” after the competition under the Regional Program of Local Democracy in the Western Balkans (ReLOaD), funded by the European Union (EU), implemented by the Municipality of Tivat and UNDP.

As "My Support for Breastfeeding" deals with the child and the mother, this is how the cooperation with the NGO Center for Counseling and Personal Development was organized, which for the past three years conducted workshops for parents "Parenting School", where they were supported by experts in several cycles from psychotherapy how to cope with the parenting situation as easily as possible. The goal is to empower families.

Teresa Kish announced a series of workshops for pregnant women and mothers to promote breastfeeding as a basis for lifelong health.

"We will try our best to get all pregnant women and mothers from Tivat to breastfeed, to simply wait for that moment of feeding their baby as readily as possible and of course to persist in it. The health center gave us support. The whole school will be held on their premises and in cooperation with their doctors," she pointed out.

"The plan is for the project to last for ten months, with one cycle per workshop for each group, meaning four workshops per month. Groups will change every month, but whoever wants to repeat it is not a problem.

In the first workshop, we will talk about the importance of breastfeeding and other general things and guidelines, the practical part and the like.  We expect a gynecologist to attend, who will explain how breastfeeding works in the maternity ward,” Kish pointed out.

A public debate marking World Breastfeeding Week will be held on August 7th at noon in the Tivat Health Center. Introductory presentations will be given by Tereza Kiš, who is a lecturer at the Tivat Breastfeeding School, Dr. Danica Stevovic, a pediatrician at the Tivat Health Center and Vera Janjatovic a visiting nurse at the Health Center.

"During World Breastfeeding Week, the theme is 'Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding.' Our workshops are open not only to pregnant women but also to their partners, future grandmothers, sisters, girlfriends and all those who want to get to know each other and be the first support when the mother leaves the maternity ward.

It often happens that the mother makes the initial mistakes just under the influence of an environment that is not competent to give advice and does not know how to support the mother. It is also crucial for us to empower mothers after childbirth, so we will also have a Support Phone that will be active every day from 11 am to 5 pm. Everyone will get the best answer,” Kish said.

She said that progress was made by the increasing number of dads asking about certain situations and problems.

The school is also active on social networks, so anyone interested can find it under the name "My breastfeeding support Teresa Kish", and the support phone number is 068 / 502-972.

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.

Myrtill Micheller, the best Hungarian female vocalist, performed last night in Porto Montenegro with her band "Swinguistique".   

"Our biggest goal is to bring the cultural values ​​of Hungary and Hungarian artists closer to the citizens of Montenegro, because we are convinced that our two countries' bilateral relations do not consist of political and economic cooperation only, which is usually mentioned”, said Hungarian Ambassador to Montenegro József Négyesi, welcoming guests to concert.

The event was staged at pier 1 as part of the Hungarian Culture Week in Montenegro, sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organized by the Hungarian Embassy in Podgorica, and also included in the program of the 18th Don Branko Days of KotorArt Music.

 “We should emphasize developing relationships in other areas, among which culture is certainly in a prominent place. The "Hungarian Culture Week" will run until the end of September. Within 24 different programs in many Montenegrin cities, Hungarian musicians, dancers and many other artists will be presented,” said the ambassador. He thanked the Montenegrin partners, the city of Tivat, the KotorArt Festival and Porto Montenegro, emphasizing that without their support it would not be possible to organize the programs.

Speaking about Myrtill Micheller, the ambassador pointed out: “Despite the French pronunciation of her name, Myrtill does not come from a French family. However, her band brings to life the atmosphere of France from the last century with her songs in French and English, including the chansons by Edit Pjaf in a cheerful gypsy swing manner. Their first album of 2012 was awarded a gold record and they have since performed in front of full halls in Budapest and throughout Hungary. ”

Myrtill Micheller is a graduate of jazz singing at the Franc List Music Academy in Budapest. It gained public attention after the release of the music for the movie The Dreamcar, for which the soundtrack was hired as a singer. She made her debut album I Just Found Out About Love in 2004, with jazz standards. Today she is one of the most engaged Hungarian vocalists and has sung on more than 40 albums. She presented her latest project Swinquistique in 2013, with selected songs in French and English, arranged in jazz and swing-jazz style.

"This is dance music, dance with us," said Myrtill, addressing the audience and introducing the band members. The audience enjoyed French chansons and Hungarian and other popular songs, with some of the visitors singing and dancing with the performers in the lovely July night.

July 31, 2019 - Continuing our look at the real estate possibilities in Montenegro, through the RE/MAX catalogue, a visit to Donja Lastva by Tivat.

Tivat has undergone tremendous change in the last 15 years since the arrival of the Porto Montenegro project. And now with Lustica Bay also under construction close by, it is becoming one of the most fashionable places to be on the coast. It is lively all year, and it is not uncommon to find residents of Dubrovnik coming for the weekend in the winter months as there is more life. 

This week's RE/MAX Property of the Week comes from Donja Lastva, which lies between Tivat centre and the ferry, a nice spot. With a very nice view from this spacious 308m2 house on a 376m2 plot. As RE/MAX explains:

The house has three entrances. The main one is from the parking space, the second is up to the stairs, and the third is from the terrace.

For sale is a very beautiful family house in Donja Lastva, with special comfort and style. There is a pleasant combination of colors, a spacious terrace covered with flowers, and a breathtaking view of the sea. When you need not just a house by the sea, but something special, this house is just what you need. It will surely find a response in your hearts.

On the 1st floor, we come from the entrance hall to the living room with a fireplace, here we have a kitchen room, a sauna for 6 people, a spacious bathroom with a jacuzzi and a shower. At the same level, there is a laundry room with a window, a storeroom-workshop, and a guest toilet.

We go the stairs and get to the 1st floor, on the right is a dressing room, on the left is the exit to the spacious hall, which is divided into the living room, and the dining area with modern kitchen (Bosch appliances, furniture is custom-made). Comfortable sofas in the living room, armchairs, a large plasma TV, a white piano - everything has to have pleasant evenings in this house.

From the living room, we get to a huge summer terrace, immersed in flowers. There are many cozy places where you can retire for a cup of coffee, there is a large dining area with a pergola for all families and guests, a barbecue made to order, a fountain with a mini pool surrounded by flowers. You truly feel in paradise, because the terrace offers stunning views of the sea, the Bay of Tivat, Porto Montenegro and the green mountains. On the terrace, at the edge of the site, there is an unfinished pool, but all the materials for it are available.

In front of the house, there is no possibility to build something so that you can close the view. This is one of the main advantages of this property.

From the living room up to the stairs, we get to the 2nd floor. But the house also has a third entrance - from the side of the gate. We enter the entrance hall, here is the guest toilet and access to the living room. We climb the stairs and get to the 2nd floor, here around the hall there are 4 bedrooms and 2 spacious bathrooms. Two large bedrooms and a guest bedroom - all overlooking the sea, as well as a nursery with a window on the green wall.

Air conditioners are installed in each room. Internet, satellite TV. Everywhere warm floors.Water. House owners buy 35-40 m2 of water - this is enough for the spring and summer period. At other times of the year, rainwater is used, water filters are installed.

For electricity, in the winter they pay a maximum of 400 euros per month (if you include all heating devices), but on average - 200 euros. On the 2nd floor, there is a wood-burning stove that warms the house perfectly. It is also possible to install a fireplace in the living room (optional).

Every year, a house tax of about 1,300 euros.

Price: 799,000 euros

For more information, photos and to book a viewing, check out the original RE/MAX listing.