58 | MONTENEGRO WORDS | Chloe-rose Hopkinson
high investment potential. Due to the onset of the Yugoslav
Montenegrin magic M
ontenegro is considered an attractive destination for tourists, as well as having
wars in the mid-90s, tourism nearly died and it did not recover for nearly 10 years. With the government wanting to make Montenegro an elite tourism destination, large projects were put underway to attract potential foreign investors. These included Porto Montenegro, a luxury yacht marina and adjacent waterfront development currently under construction. Tourism is considered a very important part of the Montenegro economy and investors have put in over 350 million euros for the modernization of hotels. According to the Balkan Open Report, August 2011 saw tourist numbers to Montenegro reach 455,185, 5.3% higher than the previous year. The number of overnight stays reached 3,556,078, an increase of 12.2% over the same period. 98.8% stayed in coastal areas, 0.7% in mountainous areas, while just 0.2% stayed in the capital, Podgorica, hinting that the government and potential investors could take their business further into the regional areas of Montenegro. The WTTC published its Travel
and Tourism Economic Impact report for 2011, ranking Montenegro as the number one country out of 188 in the world for growth in travel and tourism industries. The WTTC estimates that travel and
tourism will have directly contributied 8.1% of Montenegro’s entire GDP in
Montenegro: Top seven countries of origin for tourists:
Serbia: 27.9% Russia: 20.3% Bosnia & Herzegovina: 7.6% Kosovo: 3.4% Ukraine: 3.1% Albania: 2.3% Poland: 2.1%
Source: 2011 Balkan Open Report
TOURISM
www.opp.org.uk | JUNE 2012
For a small European nation on the Adriatic coast, Montenegro is certainly making a splash. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has predicted three times that the little country will have the world’s fastest growing tourism industry in the world over a ten-year period. But what is the real story here?
Building the elite | The Montenegrin government has worked hard to make the country a top luxury tourist destination
2011, indirectly contributing 17.2% of GDP in the same year. The country’s tourism industry is also predicted to have 10% year-on-year growth, as well as have the fastest-growing tourism
“Year-on-year Montenegro’s tourism industry is predicted to grow at 10%”
sector over the next decade. Peter Flynn of ntDesign & ntRealty, believes that the country’s plans in this sector have helped to boost its overseas property market. “The future for tourism in
Montenegro is colossal,” he says. “The WTTC has, three times now, predicted Montenegro to have the fastest growing tourism industry in the world over a ten year period.” “Year-on-year it is predicted to
grow at 10% per year. As such, you have large and serious high quality hotels moving in to Montenegro. These include: The Hilton Hotel at Blue Horizon Beach and The Porto Montenegro Regent Hotel.” “The tourism industry is still in its infancy but to me that just makes it all the more charming. It lags behind Croatia in terms of organised tourism
but is by far nicer in my opinion as it retains its soul and integrity.” “The Montenegrin Government
has strategically done well in the past in many areas with regards to tourism,” he says. “They have identifi ed areas that would do well for not only the country but for incoming high quality investors. The developments mentioned above speak for themselves.” Despite this, Flynn says awareness needs to be increased. “Financially, there’s not a lot that the Montenegrin Government can do as far as spending is concerned, I do feel, however, that they are missing a trick regarding public awareness and education. Service standards are improving but could be better.”
“Most importantly, there are still no low cost airlines coming to Montenegro. The Government were in deep talks with Ryanair and even announced that they were going to fl y to Montenegro from this June but those talks have dissolved over a small amount of airport tax.” What are the key attractions? “The
Fjord is the main attraction,” says Flynn. “The mountains plunge into the sea and create not only drama but stunning back drops.
The currency is the Euro, so
convenient for many travelers, and the prices are reasonable with the average meal for two with either fi llet steak or sea bass and a bottle of the excellent local wine being under €50 including a good tip.”
Montenegro’s international airports
• Tivat Airport – on the coast, handy for Kotor, Porto Montenegro and Lus- tica. Destinations include: Belgrade, London, Moscow
• Podgorica Airport – close to the capital and also handy for the southern part of the Montenegrin coastline. Destinations include: Ljubljana, Vienna, Zagreb, Belgrade, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, London, Moscow. Nice, Paris, Rome, Zurich, Istanbul
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