10 June 2019 - The Director of the Public Enterprise for Coastal Zone Management of Montenegro, Predrag Jelušić, presented a total of 29 Blue Flags to various swimming areas (beaches) and one to Marina Bar, which is the only marina in Montenegro that has this prestigious ecological feature, reports National Tourism Organization of Montenegro.

The iconic Blue Flag is one of the world’s most recognised voluntary eco-labels awarded to beaches, marinas, and sustainable boating tourism operators. In order to qualify for the Blue Flag, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility criteria must be met and maintained.

The Blue Flag program has been implemented in Montenegro since 2003 when NGO "EKOM" became an associate member of the Foundation for Environmental Education and thus acquired the right to be the National Operator for Montenegro. PE for Coastal Zone Management immediately recognized the importance of the Blue Flag and from the very beginning became the general sponsor and supporter of the Program, which is one of the most important activities related to the responsible management of the coast and beaches.

The Blue Flag is awarded for the current season based on the results from the previous season, which are assessed by the National Commission consisting of the representatives of the relevant Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, the Public Enterprise for Coastal Zone Management, the Red Cross of Montenegro, the Port Management, and the environmental NGOs. At the beginning of each year, they review the statements and reports of beach tenants and analyse the fulfilment of 32 criteria in the area of ​​safety and services on beaches, quality of seawater and environmental activities, regardless of the number of years spent in the Program.

Based on the proposal of the National Commission, each year the international jury awards certain swimming areas (beaches) with the Blue Flag. The jury gathers and makes the decisions in Copenhagen each year at the end of May. Members of the international jury are representatives of renowned institutions such as the World Tourism Organization (WTO), the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), the International Rescue Organization (IRC), the UN Environment Program, The International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) and others.

Blue Flag Awarding is based on meeting the criteria in four basic areas: ecological education and information, water quality, ecological management and safety and service. For beaches, from 2017, it is necessary to comply with 33 criteria, out of which 28 are imperative and 5 are recommended. Some of the necessary criteria are: ecological and educational activities, highlighted map of the beach with marked different contents, compliance with requirements and standards regarding frequency of sampling of sea water, fulfilling requirements and standards in terms of microbiological, physical and chemical parameters of sea water, sanitary facilities with controlled drainage, emergency response plans etc.

Read more about exploring Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

10 June 2019 - Prime Minister Duško Marković recently hosted representatives of EasyJet, EasyJet Holidays and Karisma Hotels & Resorts. During the meeting, it was noted that Montenegro is an attractive tourist destination which has enormous potential for further development and growth, which is a great opportunity for airline companies such as EasyJet.

"The Government is strongly committed to the development of tourism, but also to improving the overall infrastructure as a key precondition for further progress of this branch of economy," said Prime Minister Marković.

He recalled the plans for valorisation of airports in Podgorica and Tivat, which is crucial for further development of tourism, given that Montenegro is mainly a flight destination.

Prime Minister Marković pointed out that the Government is open to a strategic partnership with EasyJet, which, according to Chief Executive Officer of EasyJet Johan Lundgren, is interested in long-term investments. This company, through EasyJet Holidays, is interested in offering its customers a unique holiday offer in Montenegro, and it is partnering with Karisma Hotels & Resorts, which has a hotel complex in Ulcinj.

EasyJet is considered one of the best low-cost companies. In Europe, it is the second largest airline with over 1,000 routes and, according to company management, exceptional operation and low operating costs.

So far, EasyJet has carried about 60,000 tourists on flights from London and Manchester to Tivat and flights from Geneva. They believe that the potentials of Montenegro, and especially its position in the region, give the conditions for further long-term development and increase in the number of tourists.

“Tivat, the seaside home of the country’s international airport, now benefits from multi-million-dollar marina Porto Montenegro, often nicknamed the Monte Carlo of the Adriatic: an extravagant spot of super yachts, luxury apartments, nightclubs, helipads and the country’s first five-star hotel. Whether it’s to go off the beaten track or to mix with the masses in Montenegro’s rapidly developing beach resorts, the country is embracing its new-found tourist industry and vastly developing as a result. Hinted by experts to be the next hit destination, there’s really no better time to go and see for yourself,” says the info report on Cheap Flights to Montenegro by EasyJet representatives.

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

About Gumball 3000

Zucenica fest in Tivat started with a gourmet show "P(i)jat od zucenice", at the city's promenade Pine.

The feast was opened by the performance of the Music Education Society Tivat.

At about thirty stands, several hundred varied and imaginative dishes from the coastal wild edible grass zucenica were exhibited by around twenty participants.

In addition to the organizers of the feast - members of the Organization of Women Tivat, the participants included Hotel and Catering Association Tivat; Kolo srpskih sestara Tivat, Organization of Women Risan, crew of sailing ship "Jadran", boat “Vodena kocija”; Hotel Regent, NGO Bokobran, Kavacka ala maka, High catering school "Sergije Stanic" from Podgorica, chefs from the Polish town Skoczów, NGO Harlekin, Women of Grbalj, and elementary school "Drago Milović" from Tivat.

The festival is attended by a large number of visitors from all over Montenegro and numerous foreign tourists who enjoy the authentic gastronomic offer and true coastal celebration.

The priest Petar Petrovic from Tivat and priest don Nikola Majic from Lastva tasted the beans from the kitchen of the school boat "Jadran".

The sponsors of the Festival, which celebrates the 15th anniversary this year, are the Municipality and Tourism Organization Tivat.

Text by Sinisa Lukovic, on June 1st, 2019, read more at Vijesti

The Jubilee, fifteenth " P(i)jat od žućenice ", the most famous program of Zucenica Fest, will gather 19 culinary teams, lovers of this plant and other edible grasses in Tivat.

The application deadline expires on May 28th, and in addition to the local teams, the participation has been announced by chefs from the town Skoczów in Poland, which for fifteen years has participated in well-known gastro events throughout Europe, and on the list of unavoidable ones is Zucenica fest in Tivat.

The team of Polish cooks is led by a renowned chef, gastro nomad, and producer of the gastro festival Wiecho Wroblewski.

This year, Poles will present the specialties of the national cuisine.

Although there are registrations from teams from other countries, their participation is uncertain as the funds for the Gourmet Festival in Tivat are limited.

Apart from the Polish teams and organizers of the Zucenica fest, the Women's Organization from Tivat, the participations were announced by “Kolo Srpskih sestara” from Tivat, Women's Organization from Risan, NGO Harlekin from Donja Lastva, Women's Organization from Budva, High school “Sergije Stanic” from Podgorica, NGO "Festa" from Baosici, NGO "Ruke" from Herceg Novi, NGO “Bokobran”, Tivat Women's Democratic Party Forum, “Kavacka ala maka”, Bokeski forum, High School "Mladost"  and Elementary school “Drago Milovic” from Tivat, "Vodena kočija ", “Association of Tivat Caterers”, “Bokeski Izrazi Kotor” and “Prsutara Batricevic” from Njegusi.

The fifteenth edition of  the Tivat International Gastro Festival is organized by the members of the Women's Organization from Tivat, the Municipal Tourism Organization and Radio Tivat, under the patronage of Tivat Municipality, which has allocated 3.000 euros for this gastro festival. TO Tivat is in charge of the musical program of  ''P(i)jata od žućenice'. Therefore the concerts will be held by the Tivat Music Education Society and pop star Ana Kokic. The most famous gastronomic event in Boka Bay, dedicated to the wild, edible grass-zucenica, will be held on June 1^st at the promenade Pine in Tivat.

Text by Sinisa Lukovic, on May 26th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

The 9th International Festival "Harmonika Fest" (“Accordion Fest”) will be held in Tivat from Wednesday until Friday and will gather about 250 accordionists from numerous European countries, said NGO “Harmonika Montenegrina”.

Director and founder of the Festival, Predrag Jankovic, said that the Festival is progressing and developing year by year and it is positioned well on the map of the famous European accordion festivals, reports PR Center.

"This year, we will have a record number of participants in the competition segment, with about 250 contestants, including the orchestra of the accordion, which is the largest number so far and we are particularly pleased about this. This is another indication that the Festival is going on an upward trajectory," Jankovic said.

The first evening, as announced, will feature the ensemble Beltango Quintet at Hotel Chedi in Lustica.

"It will start at 9 pm. The next day we will have a concert in the small hall of the Cultural Center, where we will have the opportunity to hear the most successful classical accordionist coming from Kazakhstan, Damir Sultanov, who is a professor at the National University in Kazakhstan," Jankovic said. In the second part, the academy orchestra Akordeonista from Kragujevac will perform.

"The audience will have the chance to hear how the accordion sounds in the orchestra and they will perform a very interesting program," Jankovic said.

He also announced a round table on which a professor from "Giuseppe Tartini" Conservatory of Trieste, Korado Rojac, will speak.

"We are also traditionally organizing a segment of master workshops, and this year the main lecturer will be the president of the World Accordionist’s Confederation Frederic Descamps, who is a very acknowledged professor and pedagogue with very successful students," Jankovic said.

According to him, on the final day of the Festival, a closing concert and awards ceremony will take place.

"The concert will start the 1.30 p.m. in the small hall of the Cultural Center, which will also be the end of this year's “Haromonika Fest”, Jankovic said.

He said that the goal is to present a modern, classic accordion in the best way through master workshops and concerts.

"It is an instrument that has a shorter tradition than some other instruments, such as piano, violin, cello, but it has enormous advantages as it is a polyphonic instrument that allows us to play a wide repertoire and I think that, in case of quality performers, the audience is thrilled to listen to all sorts of programs that can be played on the accordion," explained Jankovic.

He said that a good, qualitative presentation of this instrument is very important, especially in the Balkans.

"In addition to talented performers who played ethnical melodies and folk music, people often had the opportunity to listen to some people who do not represent the accordion in the right way. It is often blurred with the image that on this instrument other music can be played, and not just folk. All kinds of musical genres can be played on the accordion and I invite you to come and make sure that all this is true, also in practice", Jankovic said.

The program selector, Tijana Ilic, said that 250 contestants would be presented in ten categories of solo accordion, "then we have four categories of chamber ensembles and we have as many as three orchestral categories".

"This year, we have a jury of 13 members. We have made sure that this year the members of the jury are the world's greatest pedagogues, accordion artists, including Frederic Descamps, Radomir Tomic, Miljan Bjeletic from Serbia, Dalibor Boljun from Croatia, Damir Sultanov from Kazakhstan, who will evaluate the contestants and hold a concert. There are certainly our representatives from Montenegro, Miroslav Ilic, Aleksandar Basar, " said Ilic.

She said that competitors come from Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, and more.

"We expect a successful Festival and a good presentation of the program," Ilic said.

Text by Vijesti online, on May 27th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

25 May 2019 - An increasingly popular local event P(i)jat od žućenice (English: Dandelion Dish), which is the most popular program organized within Žućenica Fest (English: The Dandelion Fest) will be held on June 1, 2019, at the Pine Promenade in Tivat. The number of exhibitors who participate in the event is increasing each year, so there are usually over 250 dandelion dishes presented during this traditional manifestation!

The head organizer of the Žućenica fest is the Women's Organization of Tivat while the technical and financial support is provided by the Tourist Organization of Tivat, Radio Tivat and the Municipality of Tivat, which is the sponsor of the Festival.

City orchestra of Tivat will open this year’s festival with a mini-concert that will start at 7 pm, and the musical segment of the program will continue with the performance of the regional star Ana Kokić, who will step on stage at 8:30 pm.

This year’s P(i)jat od žućenice will gather 19 cooking teams with more than 150 chefs ready to showcase their cooking skills and to prepare various types of dishes with the common garden plants dandelions. The dishes will include pies, rolls, salads, various types of meat and vegetables prepared with dandelions and greens.

With colorful and delicious dishes made from dandelion, this festival easily grabs the attention of locals and tourists, and the mastery is probably best described by the fact that all of the specialties get eaten very soon after they’re exhibited.

The list of the Festival’s exhibitors will include NGO Kolo srpskih sestara from Tivat, Women's Organization of Risan, NGO Harlekin from Donja Lastva, Women's Organization of Budva, Secondary and High Trading School Sergije Stanić from Podgorica, NGO Fešta from Baošići, NGO Ruke from Herceg Novi, NGO Bokobran, Women's Democratic Party Forum from Tivat, Kavačka alla maka, Bokeški Forum, Secondary School Mladost Tivat, Elementary School Drago Milović from Tivat, Vodena kočija, Association of Tivat Caterers, Bokeški izrazi Kotor and Gourmet Shop Batričević Njeguši. In addition to local exhibitors, the Festival will also host a team of chefs from the Polish town of Skočová, led by the famous chef Wiecho Wroblewski.

The Tourist Organization of Tivat has posted an official invitation to all interested parties to come and enjoy the outstanding traditional delicacies and musical part of the program.

22 May 2019 - One of the most impressive five-star hotels in Montenegro - The Chedi Luštica Bay has won another flattering title after receiving the Wild Beauty Award as the best hotel in Montenegro at the end of last year.

On the recently closed Central and Eastern European Real Estate Quality Awards (CEEQA) Ceremony in Warsaw, The Chedi Hotel was named the most outstanding building of the year in Southeast Europe. The new award of this fairy-tale like refuge once again confirmed the quality Luštica Bay is recognizable for, but also reinforced the conviction that the entire project is advancing in the right direction.

At the award ceremony, the executive director of Luštica Development, Darren Gibson, did not hide pleasure after this success.

"The Chedi Hotel is the purest expression of the passion and commitment of all those who took part in this project. It is the very peak of our efforts and, as the first of the seven planned hotels in Luštica Bay, Chedi is focused on creating the life as it should be, and this is the life that we so devotedly create in our project. Inspired by autochthonous architecture and local heritage, Chedi connects the natural elements with sophisticated luxury and unparalleled comfort, and this is the essence of our success and this award,” said Gibson.

Not forgetting the last year’s Wild Beauty Award for the hotel of the year, this new recognition is certainly one of many that Montenegro and Chedi’s management expects from this special hotel in the heart of Luštica Bay, a new recognizable destination of Orascom.

The decision on this award was made by the CEEQA jury, which consists of experienced representatives of the leading companies in the market.

Since 2003, the CEEQA organization has been a key figure in merging investors, institutions, organizations and real estate agents in one place. Attracting 800+ business leaders and decision makers from more than 50 countries to celebrate the success and success stories of the calendar year, the event is renowned for its exceptional blend of elite business, exclusive hospitality and world class entertainment. 

The Chedi Hotel Luštica Bay is the first hotel of the Chedi brand in the Balkans and second in Europe. The brand owner, GHM, founded Chedi as a brand of luxury hotels in Asia and the Far East. Their first European hotel The Chedi Andermatt in Switzerland was named the best luxury winter hotel in the world. Located in the heart of the most beautiful merging of the Montenegrin coast and the mountain outback, The Chedi Hotel offers 111 rooms and suites, two restaurants and two bars, a high-tech conference and business centre, a wellness and spa centre with indoor pool and heated outdoor infinity pool. The hotel also offers beach and sunbathing area, and direct access to a quiet promenade and marina with 176 berths. More information is available at www.chedilusticabay.com and on social networks Instagram: @thechedilusticabay; Facebook: The Chedi Luštica Bay - a GHM hotel.

20 May 2019 - The software company Logate and the digital community of Montenegro Digitalizuj.me are organizing the seventh in a row Hackathon, called Hackathon in the Port 2019, from May 22 to 24, in Porto Montenegro in Tivat.

Hackathon in the Port 2019 is a regional tech event that brings together developers, project managers, graphic designers, and all those enthusiastic about technology, the development of tech solutions and their application. The event consists of a full-day conference called "Interact", which is followed by a two-day Hackathon - a programming marathon where eight teams from all over the region compete in the creation of computer applications.

This year's event is focused on gaming, so the main theme of the Hackathon 2019 is creating computer games. All contestants are already exploring interesting gaming concepts and already booking a ticket for Tivat. Additional details of the topic will be known at the event itself, but the organizers highlighted that this year’s participants would, besides the competition, have the opportunity to listen to the whole day's lectures in the field of development of video games. Lectures will be held on the first day of the event, in the form of a conference called "Interact".

The conference is conceived as a gathering place for gaming enthusiasts who will exchange knowledge and experience, and learn about the concepts of designing, developing and programming computer games. Speakers at the conference are experts from some of the largest gaming companies in the region, so the organizers are confident that the lectures will provide enough inspiration for the challenges the competitors will be facing. The lecturers from the conference will also be team mentors during the competition.

The winning team that comes up with the best solution is expected to receive a cash prize of 3.000,00 EUR, provided by Hackathon’s partner, Societe Generale Montenegro. Also, the supporter of Hackathon, the Spark.me conference provided the winners with a presentation within the Spark.me Start-Up Competition, which will be held after Hackathon on May 25 and 26, also in the Porto Montenegro Marina.

The team that gets second place within the competition will also receive a cash award in the amount of 1.000,00 €. The sponsor of this prize is the company SAGA CG.

The Hackathon 2019 conference is an ideal place to learn about the latest tools, methodologies, and practices of the gaming industry, but also to gather useful tips, ideas and inspiration to do business in this very popular branch. With a creative and entertaining theme, inspiring tech lectures, attractive location, and even more attractive awards, the organizers promise the best Hackathon experience for all participants!

Data acquired from the Official Hackathon Website.

17 May 2019 - Summer 2019 sees the launch of Porto Montenegro Yacht Club’s (PMYC) new beach facility combining a waterfront bar and sun deck surrounded by lush subtropical vegetation, as well as an adjacent beach gym and volleyball court.

With its distinct personality, the beach adds more than 1500 square meters of recreational space dotted with palm trees, bamboo and agapanthus. The main seating area features nautical blue, beige and white sun loungers, cabanas and hammocks, as well as a family zone with bean bags and beach bats, with full waiter service provided by the PMYC’s pool staff. The family zone is located next to a newly built marina. All construction works in regards to the beach and the surrounding infrastructure have been completed, and will soon be fully ready to host the first tourists!

The Kotor-based company "Briv Construction" was in charge of building a beautiful sandy beach which covers 3600 square meters within the exclusive marina and yachting paradise - Porto Montenegro. This company also had the privilege of constructing the gorgeous Lido Pool Porto Montenegro, one of the most attractive pools in the world, the luxury 5-star Regent Hotel, a high-class residential building Teuta, and many other projects on the coastal area of Montenegro.  

The beach area includes a 40-seater bar overlooking the Yacht Club jetty of racing yachts, which has wooden decking, rattan furniture and classic deck chairs accompanied by a selection of dishes from the PMYC’s Mediterranean-inspired menu. An extensive cocktail list comes into its own each evening as the bar transforms into a relaxed outdoor venue for drinks and entertainment.

Themed parties and crew-friendly barbecues are scheduled all summer as well as a series of open-air ‘silent cinema’ screenings using the latest in wireless headset technology. Set back from the waterfront, a volleyball net is available for PMYC members and guests to use on a first-come-first-served basis with either professional quality volleyballs or Frescobol Carioca handmade beach bats. The adjacent beach gym features nautically inspired training equipment designed by Biofit in sustainable oak and natural fiber rope. Bespoke wooden dip bars, gym benches, jump boxes and weight racks were commissioned from a local shipwright and kettlebells have been painted in the Yacht Club’s burgee colours.

Day memberships for the PMYC Beach including a sunbed and access to the outdoor gym, volleyball and main 64-metre pool are Eur 42/person or Eur 30 for PMYC Silver Members while a beach cabana for three people is Eur 250/day with a bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne.

Information acquired from Porto Montenegro Official Website.