Tourism in Montenegro
The tourism in Montenegro is one of the main sources of income of the country .
The country is considered one of the fastest growing tourist destinations. In 2012, 1.44 million tourists visited Montenegro, which generated 9.15 million overnight stays (this corresponds to an increase of 5% compared to the previous year). This generated approx. 569 million euros in income from tourism (in 2009) (an increase of 18.5% compared to 2007). While before the war in Yugoslavia the travel guests came here increasingly from the German-speaking area, nowadays it is mainly guests from Eastern Europe (especially from Russia ) as well as from neighboring Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (see below).
The national tourism organization that is practicing tourism marketing for the country almost worldwide is the state institution Turistička organizacija Montenegro , based in Podgorica .
The country can offer tourism destinations and activities all year round. The tourism master plan up to 2020 is a national development program for sustainable nature tourism with new infrastructures and services, especially in the areas of hiking and cycling . The implementation of the first 3-year program started in 2007. In 2011 the “Wilderness Hiking & Biking” project was awarded the EcoTrophea international by the German Travel Association. In the following year, another project from Montenegro was among the top 5 for the EcoTrophea 2012. The accommodations "Ferienwohnungen Utjeha.me" in the holiday resort of the same name in Utjeha in the municipality of Bar . The accommodation company was the first accommodation in Montenegro to be awarded the European Ecolabel EU Ecolabel and is thus a pioneer and model for sustainable accommodation in Montenegro.
In 2010 the World Travel and Tourism Council recognized the Ministry of Tourism with two other winners in the “Destination Stewardship” category.
The biggest problem of the Montenegrin tourism is still inadequate flight connections from the main source markets. The two international destination airports are those of Tivat and Podgorica . Since 2011, the Montenegrin railway has not only brought you from the coast (Bar) via the capital (Podgorica) to the north (Kolasin, Bijelo Polje), but also to Niksic in the west.
Destinations
Northern coastal region
The Montenegrin Adriatic coast is a total of 295 km long, of which 72 km are beaches, and has some old, well-preserved cities. The main attractions along the north coast are:
- the old town of Herceg Novi ,
- the old town of Kotor ( UNESCO World Heritage Site ),
- the bay of Kotor , with the old town of Perast ,
- Porto Montenegro , a luxury yacht marina in Tivat ,
- the well-preserved old town of Budva ,
- Sveti Stefan , an island village that was transformed into a luxury hotel in the 1950s,
- the town of Petrovac near Budva.
Southern coastal region
The southern coastal region of Montenegro is one of the great "new discoveries" for international tourism. In January 2010 the New York Times announced that the southern coast around Ulcinj, including Velika Plaža, Ada Bojana and the Hotel Mediteran Ulcinj, was among the "Top 31 Places to Go in 2010" as part of a global ranking of tourist destinations.
The southern coastal region is u. a. popular due to their miles of sandy beaches ( blue flag ), eco-adventure activities, old fortified towns and their vibrant nightlife. The main goals are:
- the old town of Ulcinj with its striking battlements and Cyclops walls, its vibrant nightlife, the coastal promenade and the longest unspoiled beach in Montenegro (13 km), Velika Plaža ,
- the old town of Bar ( Stari Bar ) as a "living museum",
- the island of Ada Bojana in the extreme south of Montenegro with its famous river restaurants, which serve fresh seafood from the adjacent waters every day (16 km south of Ulcinj),
- the pebble beach and the massive olive groves of Valdanos (near Ulcinj),
- the beach, the sea caves and the pine resin air at "Ladies Beach", which has been known by locals for generations for cures against infertility and other ailments,
- the only Montenegrin deep water port and commercial port in Bar ,
- the beach and the bay of Utjeha "Uvala Maslina" (olive bay), the southernmost bay of the municipality of Bar ( blue flag ),
- of Lake Skadar , the largest lake in the Balkans and also the nature reserve, the one of the largest nesting sites for migratory birds on the European continent (u. a. Pelicans 's)
- Beaches, castles, islands and villages on Lake Skadar.
Central region
Although it is the most densely populated area of Montenegro, the central region has fewer tourist attractions. Noteworthy are:
- the Ostrog monastery , a famous pilgrimage site,
- archaeological remains of Duklja (Doclea) from Roman times (on the outskirts of Podgorica ),
- Cetinje , the historical capital of Montenegro,
- the Lipa cave near Cetinje,
- the mountain Lovćen in the national park of the same name as well as the mausoleum of Petar II. Petrović-Njegoš , which offers a wide panoramic view of the surrounding landscape as well as of the Bay of Kotor and the Mediterranean Sea.
Northern mountain country
The northern region is the center of Montenegrin mountain tourism. Ski resorts are located here and it is popular for its landscape. The entire area of the Durmitor massif and the canyon of the Tara are part of protected national parks and UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Destinations in the north are:
- the town of Žabljak in the Durmitor Mountains, the most popular travel destination away from the Montenegrin coast. The national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- the Tara Gorge in Durmitor National Park, the deepest canyon in Europe and the second deepest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon. The river is a popular destination for rafting .
- the Biogradska Gora National Park with the largely untouched jungle (with the Biogradsko jezero ) and extensive hiking and mountain bike trails.
- the town of Kolašin , another popular destination near the Biogradska Gora National Park, with the “Kolasin 1450” ski resort on the Bjelasica Mountains.
- the town of Plužine , located on the shores of Lake Piva, with a variety of offers for nature lovers.
- The town of Plav , starting point for the youngest Prokletije National Park .
Tourist arrivals and overnight stays (by municipality or country of origin)
In 2012, 90.4% of all tourists spent their holidays in one of the six coastal communities. This was even 96.8% of all overnight stays. The average length of overnight stays on the coast in 2012 was around 7 nights, while in the other regions it was only 2–3 nights. The old historical capital Cetinje was an exception in 2011, which lasted around 5 nights. The front runner was the municipality of Tivat, which had just under 9 overnight stays in 2012.
Tourist region |
local community | Arrivals 2011 |
Arrivals 2012 |
Change in 2011/12 |
Overnight stays in 2011 |
Overnight stays in 2012 |
Change in 2011/12 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
coast | Budva | 637.578 | 691.654 | + 8.48% | 3,924,523 | 4,198,773 | + 6.99% |
coast | Herceg Novi | 243,568 | 229.063 | -5.96% | 1,915,346 | 1,815,222 | -5.23% |
coast | bar | 144,680 | 155,770 | +7.67% | 1,130,387 | 1,219,902 | + 7.92% |
coast | Ulcinj | 120,548 | 124,562 | + 3.33% | 878.305 | 920.877 | + 4.85% |
coast | Tivat | 47,116 | 44,045 | -6.52% | 359.278 | 389.726 | + 8.47% |
coast | Kotor | 51,850 | 56.051 | + 8.10% | 286.116 | 304.065 | + 6.27% |
Capital | Podgorica | 53,480 | 52,889 | -1.11% | 103,636 | 104,728 | +1.05% |
Mountains | Žabljak | 22,486 | 25,100 | + 11.63% | 53,285 | 57.123 | + 7.20% |
Mountains | Kolašin | 20.209 | 21,702 | + 7.39% | 40,539 | 47.103 | + 16.19% |
Others | Cetinje | 4,257 | 10,937 | + 156.92% | 22,537 | 34,466 | +52.93% |
Others | Nikšić | 7,854 | 8,139 | + 3.63% | 16,926 | 20,647 | +21.98% |
Others | Bijelo Polje | 3,874 | 3,378 | -3.48% | 13,378 | 9,444 | -29.41% |
Others | Pljevlja | 4,411 | 3,208 | -27.27% | 10.160 | 6,715 | -33.91% |
Mountains | Rožaje | 1,630 | 1,643 | + 0.80% | 5,001 | 5,403 | + 8.04% |
Others | Mojkovac | 2,393 | 2,803 | +17.13% | 3,039 | 3,982 | +31.03% |
Others | Danilovgrad | 903 | 1.927 | + 113.40% | 1,825 | 3,961 | +117.04% |
Mountains | Plužine | 2,438 | 1.913 | -21.53% | 3,148 | 3,465 | + 10.07% |
Others | Berane | 1,758 | 2.210 | + 25.71% | 2,209 | 2,917 | + 32.05% |
Mountains | Plav | 1,609 | 1,649 | + 2.49% | 4,366 | 2.122 | -51.40% |
Mountains | Andrijevica | 806 | 496 | -38.46% | 1,118 | 595 | -46.78% |
Mountains | Šavnik | 6th | - | - | 49 | - | - |
Montenegro | All in all | 1,373,454 | 1,439,500 | + 4.81% | 8,775,171 | 9,151,236 | + 4.29% |
The average length of stay in 2012 was similar for all nationalities and was 5 to 7 nights. Only the Italians, as in the previous year, only got 4.2 nights, while the Russians stayed the longest with 8.2 nights (2011: 7.3).
origin | Arrivals 2011 |
Arrivals 2012 |
Change in 2011/12 |
Overnight stays in 2011 |
Overnight stays in 2012 |
Change in 2011/12 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Serbia | 301.094 | 337.245 | + 12.01% | 2,165,529 | 2,353,370 | + 8.67% |
Russia | 243,647 | 244,924 | +0.52% | 1,988,533 | 1,791,616 | -10.99% |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 95.271 | 97,497 | + 2.28% | 679.317 | 750.341 | + 9.47% |
Poland | 39.131 | 39,544 | +1.04% | 196,888 | 214,927 | + 8.39% |
Germany | 32,648 | 33,427 | + 2.33% | 184,984 | 182.724 | -1.24% |
Czech Republic | 26,847 | 24,702 | -8.68% | 174,634 | 171.107 | -2.06% |
France | 33.122 | 28,336 | -16.89% | 167.215 | 152.395 | -9.72% |
Albania | 27,428 | 27,388 | -0.15% | 159,811 | 162,323 | +1.55% |
North Macedonia | 24,564 | 22.605 | -8.67% | 158,469 | 144.084 | -9.98% |
Italy | 36,113 | 34,403 | -4.97% | 151.366 | 143.938 | -5.16% |
Romania | 23,108 | 22,923 | -0.81% | 118.313 | 142.281 | + 16.85% |
United Kingdom | 19,369 | 23,904 | + 18.97% | 102.229 | 139,546 | + 26.74% |
Other foreign countries | 325,670 | 300.352 | + 8.43% | 1,707,878 | 1,657,992 | + 3.01% |
Abroad as a whole | 1,264,163 | 1,201,099 | + 5.25% | 8,143,007 | 7,818,803 | + 4.15% |
Montenegro | 175,337 | 172.355 | -1.73% | 1,008,229 | 956.368 | -5.42% |
All in all | 1,373,454 | 1,439,500 | + 4.81% | 8,775,171 | 9,151,236 | + 4.29% |
Source: Statistical office of Montenegro
photos
More than 2000 years old olive tree in Bar
Foothills of Lake Skadar
The Crno jezero in the Durmitor Mountains
See also
- Montenegrin coast
- Islands in Montenegro
- National parks in Montenegro
- UNESCO World Heritage in Montenegro
Web links
- Official website of the national tourism organization Turistička organizacija Montenegro (German)
- Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism (English)
- First EU Ecolabel certified accommodation in Montenegro (German)
- Information, maps and GPS data on hiking and cycling routes in Montenegro
Footnotes
- ↑ mynatour.org/econews/2010-tourism-tomorrow-awards
- ↑ Montenegro Travel | The official tourism website of Montenegro. Retrieved July 28, 2018 .
- ↑ Tourism ( English ) Statistical Office of Montenegro. Retrieved November 16, 2019.