29 July 2019 - According to the official statement by the representatives of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism of Montenegro, Marriott International's The Ritz-Carlton Company will open a Ritz Carlton hotel in Montenegro in the near future, reports CdM.
From the economic aspect, Montenegro is one of the fastest-growing tourist destinations, with predictions of continued growth in the forthcoming years. “Although we’re a small country, we have a lot to offer and many world-known hotel brands operating in Montenegro serve as evidence for that. Apart from Hilton, Aman, Regent, Four Points & Sheraton, Chedi, Meliã, Falkensteiner, Iberostar and others, the Ritz Carlton will soon expand to Montenegro”, said General Director of the Directorate for Development of Competitiveness and Investment in Tourism, Ms Olivera Brajović in an interview for Pobjeda daily.
The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism of Montenegro is constantly working on increasing high-category accommodation capacities, improving air accessibility, and diversifying the tourist offer and extension of tourist season. Brajović emphasised that the Ministry is aiming to promote the tourist offer of Montenegro while working on the creation of authentic tourist product through connecting tourism with agriculture.
As far as new investments in tourism are concerned, Ms Brajović points out that creation of new investment and business environment has led to increased interest in the construction of new hotel capacities and reconstruction of the existing ones. “Around 25 new hotels were opened last year in Montenegro, 15 of which were high-category hotels. We want to create a good ambiance in the northern part of the country as well. As the representatives of the state, we aim to provide the necessary infrastructure, so that the investor has all basic conditions to invest and make a tourist complex in Montenegro”, said Ms Brajović.
She stresses that the country’s job is to provide electricity and water before any negotiations on investments. Air accessibility is also of great importance since Montenegro is still a destination which is mostly reached by air traffic.
“In that context, every new airline means progress for tourism. As a result of better connection with cities in Western Europe, the number of tourists from Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom has doubled. New flights have an impact on better “visibility” of Montenegro. There are currently nine low-cost air companies operating flights towards Montenegro and vice versa”, says Ms Brajović.
She highlighted the significance of the new routes which were opened this year – Bologna and Barcelona as well as other routes that greatly affect income from tourism in Montenegro. Easy Jet operates towards Airport Tivat from London and Manchester during summer IATA season and from Geneva during the peak summer season. Wizz Air operates from Memmingen, Milan and Budapest throughout the year, as well as from Warsaw and Katowice during the peak season. Ryan Air is the third carrier according to the traffic at Montenegrin airports. All flights operate two times a week.
Ms Brajović firmly believes that Bar-Boljare highway will enable better access to the north of Montenegro to tourists. “Tourism will be further boosted, as well as the economy and agriculture. Travelling from Podgorica to Kolašin will be faster, and it will take only half an hour. When you provide mobility, circulation of goods and services increases, which results in high-quality offer in tourism,” says Ms Brajović.
She highlighted the new projects that the state is working on in the north of Montenegro. “Berane will soon have new Lokve hotel. In addition, the doors of the Plavsko jezero hotel in Plav will soon be open for tourists. Kolašin and Žabljak are already recognized as most-visited ski centers. Four Points by Sheraton has improved its capacities, as well as former Lipka hotel. Opening of the Kolašin 1600 ski resort has created conditions for the implementation of new projects. We expect another hotel from the Marriott group. Žabljak’s tourist offer will be enriched, too”, said Ms Brajović.
Read more about Montenegro's tourist offer at TMN's dedicated page.
