During July, about 650 passengers arrived and departed from Montenegro on the newly established ferry line Ancona - Bar - Durrës, according to the data of the Travel Agency of Barska plovidba.
The state company told "Vijesta" that "Mia" transported 160 cars, 30 vans/campers, three trucks and about 30 motorbikes, which meets their expectations.
The line operated by the "Mia" ferry, which is owned by the Italian company Adria Ferri, started operating on July 9 and is of a seasonal, experimental nature with an average of two departures per week.
The director of the Travel Agency of Barska plovidba, Sanja Tomašević, pointed out that they are satisfied with what they have achieved and that, above all, they are satisfied with the fact that they managed to connect Montenegro and Italy.
"With great effort and involvement of individuals, we managed to form a line that is experimental in nature, to the satisfaction of both companies. Considering the fact that trips are generally booked well in advance, which was not possible in this case, we can consider that we are satisfied with what has been achieved, especially from the aspect of the primary goal, which is to connect the two countries by sea, which, in addition to the economy, binds us also a long-standing tradition. It is our obligation to continuously work on finding a solution until the purchase of our own boat, even if it is of a seasonal nature," said Tomašević to "Vijesta".
Tomašević says that the capacity of the ship is full, since there are also passengers going from Ancona to Durres and vice versa on the same trips..
In order for a family of four, consisting of two adults, a child under 12 years old, and another child under four years old, to travel tomorrow, August 5, and return in ten days, together with their car, it is necessary to allocate 730 euros just for the tickets.
These prices are available on the official website of Adria Ferri and trips during August are marked as "high season", which is why the price is higher for them.
During the purchase, the passenger further chooses whether he wants to stay on the bridge during the trip, reserve seats, an interior cabin, a cabin with a sea view or an apartment, which changes the price of the trip to a large extent, sometimes even doubles it.
The same prices are also available on the website of Barska plovidba, where it is pointed out that passengers pay boarding and disembarking fees of 15 euros per person and 20 euros per vehicle.
"Mia" is equipped with a total of 197 cabins, and on the upper decks there are 14 suites with double beds and triple or quadruple accommodation. Eight cabins are reserved for passengers accompanied by pets. There are also three salons on board that can accommodate up to 181 passengers.
Barska plovidba has a share in ticket sales that is proportional to the number of passengers and demand.
"And considering the fact that the line was established quite late, there was also a lack of propaganda aimed at accumulating a larger number of passengers, as well as time to motivate potential passengers," says Tomašević.
When asked if the management thinks that ticket prices are too high for the pocket of the average Montenegrin citizen, Tomašević answers that they are competitive, that they are formed by AF, and that Barska plovidba cannot influence them.
"A lot can be said about pricing policy, because it represents one of the key instruments of the marketing mix. Therefore, ticket prices are dynamic in nature, which means that they depend on the date, time, and the availability of ship space. A set of all the factors mentioned above affects the price of tickets, i.e. they depend, that is, they are determined according to the current market demand. We believe that in this type of traffic the prices are competitive, they are formed on the market, and they are formed by the shipper, i.e. Adria Ferries, Barska plovidba AD cannot significantly influence them and in order to make ticket prices accessible to citizens, it reduced its fees to a minimum", concludes Tomašević and adds that the specificity of this ticket price also comes down to the fact that it is about the possibility that passengers, with a night's rest, in comfortable cabins while avoiding the risk of road traffic, they reach their desired destination in a safe and comfortable way.
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