October 14, 2020 - The Covid-19 epidemic has had a devastating effect on Tivat's tourism industry figures this year. According to official Monstat data, the city recorded a 78.5% drop in tourist arrivals over an eight-month period, compared to the same period last year, while the number of overnight stays fell by 77.3%.
The figures were announced today at a press conference at which the Tourist Organization of Tivat presented its report on the work for the first three quarters of 2020.
The Director of TOT, Danica Banjević, pointed out that in the first eight months of this year, a total of 25,715 tourists visited the Tivat Riviera, and 208,725 overnight stays were recorded, which is an incomparably worse result than the previous year.
After excellent results and an increase in traffic compared to the same period in 2019 for the first two months of this year, the coronavirus epidemic, which began in mid-March, literally decimated tourist traffic and led to the previously record results and large number of bookings being reduced to almost zero.
"It's not just something that has happened to us, Covid-19 has had devastating effects on tourism around the world. According to the World Tourism Organization WTO, as of June, globally there were 65% fewer tourist arrivals, while the Mediterranean's decline was even more pronounced and amounted to 72%. Because of everything that is happening with the pandemic, it is impossible to predict what next year will bring in terms of tourism and what the situation will be with the virus worldwide. Still, we all hope that there will not be so many restrictions on the movement of people." Banjević added that TOT, in talks with representatives of the local tourism industry, will plan its activities and promotional campaign for the 2021 season, but at the same time continue with other strategic projects, such as better positioning of Tivat for the so-called MICE tourism, i.e. the beginning of Tivat's certification as an internationally recognized so-called green tourist destination.
She pointed out that 2020 was a significant tourist year and that what had happened in recent months cannot be compared to previous years. Also, TOT looks at the tourist deadlines in Tivat for determining the predominant profile of guests. Here their economic and consumer purchasing power is analyzed, alongside their preferences and motivations, and with that information the local tourist sector can improve what it offers, promoting Tivat alongside competing destinations in Montenegro and the wider Adriatic and Ionian Sea region.
The results of the tourist survey, which, despite extraordinary circumstances, was conducted this year in August and September, on a reduced sample of a total of 107 private accommodation providers, foreign and tourists from the countries of the former Yugoslavia, showed that Tivat attracts mostly younger and highly educated clients. Those tourists spent an average of 457 euros on arrangements in Tivat this summer, while the average daily consumption per visitor was just over 65 euros.
Guests stayed in Tivat for an average of 6 to 10 days. Most of them had excellent impressions, which is why they stated that they would return here again and recommend Tivat as a holiday destination. Answering a total of 30 questions about various aspects of what the local tourist sector has to offer, the tourists surveyed gave Tivat a relatively high average rating of 3.92, with guests expressing exceptional satisfaction with the quality of accommodation and services, staff friendliness, and food quality. In contrast, the weakest ratings were received by local traffic and, in general, road traffic infrastructure.
Coronavirus also significantly reduced this year's financial income for the Tourist Organization of Tivat, so in ten months their coffers received just over 248 thousand euros, which is almost 59% less than at the end of the third quarter of 2019. The massive drop in income of the overnight tourist tax amounts to 76%, which is expected due to the drastically smaller number of tourists than last year. In contrast, revenues from collecting tourist tax and membership fees to TOT increased by 16 and 11 percent, respectively.
317 YACHTS ARRIVED IN TIVAT IN THE NINE MONTH PERIOD
According to TOT data, a total of 317 yachts arrived in the marinas of the Tivat Riviera in the first nine months of this year.
A total of EUR 15,528 of overnight tourist tax for nautical tourism facilities was collected from these vessels, of which 80%, i.e., EUR 12,422, went to the Tourist Organization of Tivat, the rest going to the National TO of Montenegro.
