According to the latest data from the National Tourist Organization (NTO), 91,6 thousand tourists are staying in Montenegro, which is 3,12 percent more compared to the same period last year, announced the Minister of Tourism, Ecology, Sustainable and Development of the North, Vladimir Martinović.
In an interview with the Mina-business agency, he said that on Thursday, compared to the data from June 20, there were 17,21 thousand more tourists in Montenegro.
"Expectations from this year's tourist season are positive and we believe that in the end we will be satisfied with the results. Positive results are also recorded when it comes to the number of tourists staying in hotels. Namely, on June 27, 35,77 thousand tourists stayed in hotel accommodation, which is 7,74 percent more compared to the corresponding period last year," said Martinović.
He stated that such data give them the right to be optimistic and expect a successful summer season.
"As I have pointed out on several occasions, the preparation of the season is not the responsibility of the tourism ministry only, but also of other entities that, with their activities, contribute to the creation of preconditions, a good business environment for tourism", said Martinović, answering the question of whether the season is being welcomed.
Accordingly, as he explained, the Ministry prepares, and the Government adopts the Season Preparation Program, which represents the sublimated activities of all participants at the state and local level, which through their implementation influence the final results.
"Cooperation and coordination of all activities is of crucial importance for achieving goals. In this regard, so far we have had three sessions of the Coordinating Body for the preparation and monitoring of the development of tourist seasons, whose members achieve continuous cooperation that is particularly intensive during the development of the season", said Martinović.
He stated that through the work of that body, they were introduced to challenges at the micro and macro level, good initiatives, or proposals for improving the tourist product and increasing the attractiveness of Montenegro as a tourist destination.
Martinović, answering the question about the key problems of the tourism sector, announced that, despite the numerous activities undertaken to overcome the problems accompanying the tourism sector and the positive data on the number of tourists that they regularly receive from the NTO, which resulted in the minimization of negative effects on the results tourism industry, certain problems are still present, the solution of which on a long-term basis requires systemic action.
"As you know from before, there are problems such as lack of manpower, "traffic bottlenecks", noise due to construction works, lack of parking and the problem of cleanliness. All the mentioned problems, as we have already pointed out several times, require close inter-institutional cooperation, a systemic approach to solving and cooperation with local self-governments", specified Martinović.
He stated that the Ministry is actively participating and will support all initiatives in the direction of the smooth development of the tourist season.
"The fact that the Government plans to reduce unemployment and regulate the labor shortage during the tourist season by introducing the category of permanent seasonal worker speaks in favor of systemic problem solving." It is a good and innovative approach to solving this problem, which we as the Ministry strongly support", Martinović assessed.
He also pointed out that a working group has been formed at the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, whose member is a representative of the Ministry, which will result in the quality of this issue being resolved in the years ahead.
Martinović, speaking about the gray economy and illegal accommodation in tourism, said that this issue is also recognized in the Program for Suppression of the Informal Economy for Montenegro from now until 2026, as one of the key problems of the tourism sector.
"Strengthening inspection capacities is one of the prerequisites for solving the problem of the gray economy and illegal accommodation in tourism. In cooperation with the UN tourism organization, competent ministries in the region, our line ministries and inspection services, activities are undertaken to find answers to this problem. These activities are also defined through the Action Plan of the Program", explained Martinović.
As he said, it is known that in the part of the gray economy in the field of tourism, the largest percentage refers to the illegal rental of accommodation and that countries from the region, not only Montenegro, are facing this.
Answering the question of whether Montenegro's tourist offer is competitive enough and how to create a more competitive tourist product, he said that each tourist destination creates a product that sets it apart from other destinations, in order to be competitive and attractive to tourist demand.
"Our country is rich in natural amenities, as it is often called the "land of contrasts", because it offers numerous types of tourism in a small area. In these activities, local communities should play a major role, bearing in mind that institutions at the local level have information about the potential and uniqueness of the destination, on the basis of which an offer can be formed that will attract a certain tourist clientele," said Martinović.
In Montenegro, as he stated, work is being done on the diversification of the tourist product, which is aimed at reducing the level of seasonality in the business of the tourism industry.
"The diversity of our country in terms of natural, socio-cultural, historical and ethnic characteristics represents a quality basis for the development of specific types of tourist offer. In this sense, we have adopted appropriate strategies, we have implemented numerous activities for the development of rural, cultural, health, sports-recreational, gastronomic, MICE tourism, as well as other forms of tourism," said Martinović.
The plan, he added, is a program of incentive measures to support the organization of events, then rural, cultural, and MICE tourism.
"Also, at the proposal of this Ministry, and in cooperation with the Ministry of Energy and Mining and the Eco Fund, the Energy Efficiency Program for hoteliers and rural households and establishments that provide catering services was adopted. As a responsible government that analyzes the state of the economy, we decided to provide support programs worth 3,5 million and, most importantly, grants of 30 to 70 percent, which means that as a state we share the burden with our tourism economy," Martinović reminded.
According to him, bearing in mind the richness of the offer that has not yet been sufficiently valorized, they are continuously undertaking activities for further diversification while respecting the principles of sustainable development.
When asked which emission markets Montenegro should base itself on, Martinović replied that the regional market and traditional European markets represent a significant resource for the realization of tourist traffic. In addition to that market, Great Britain, Germany, the Baltic countries, Poland, the Czech Republic, and France are potential that should be counted on this year as well.
"When it comes to distant markets, special interest and good announcements are recorded from the markets of the United States of America (USA), China, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kazakhstan, Armenia and Egypt," said Martinović.
He concluded that Montenegro has something to offer tourists and that we will certainly be attractive to those tourists who have already stayed in Montenegro, but also to those who will visit us for the first time.
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