The capital city will end the summer tourist season at a similar level of occupancy as last year, while the collection of the tourist tax is about ten percent higher, announced the director of the Podgorica Tourism Organization, Dragan Grnović.
He told Mediabiro that the cross-section of the number of guests from August shows that a similar trend can be expected in the statistical data for August.
According to the official statistical data of Monstat, 109,04 thousand guests visited the capital in the first seven months, which is five percent more compared to the observed period last year.
"This tells us that we will end the summer tourist season at a similar level of occupancy as last year. However, the collection of the tourist tax and membership contribution to the Tourist Organization, which are our main sources of funding, is at a higher level compared to last year, which will enable the Tourist Organization to realize all the projects foreseen in the plan and program this year and to better plan activities and programs. for the next year. Revenues are about ten percent higher compared to the same period last year," Grnović said.
According to data from TO Podgorica, the dominant structure of guests consists of tourists from the region - Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia and Albania, and guests from China, Turkey, Russia, Israel, Great Britain and Germany are also very represented. Even during the summer months, tourists enjoyed everything that Podgorica has to offer.
"Keeping in mind that tourists and fellow citizens found salvation from the summer heat, which was intense this season, near the rivers, TO Podgorica put the main focus on the promotion of the city's beaches. We equipped three city beaches with urban beach furniture - deckchairs and umbrellas, and together with catering facilities that worked on those beaches, enabled the summer season to take place in Podgorica with quality and content. In addition to the city beaches, tourists were also interested in the hinterland of Podgorica, a visit to Rikavačka and Bukumir lakes, a panoramic tour of the Circle around Korita, a route through the Old Town with a visit to the old bridge on Ribnica and a visit to the Skadarsko Jezero National Park, which is located near the city. Grnović stated.
In order to further promote Podgorica as a tourist destination, the Tourist Organization worked hard on the material for the promotion of the destination both in the Info Center and at specialized fairs. In the previous period, they printed the Gastro Guide of the Capital City, a congress brochure, and the production of the Podgorica Wine Road brochure is in progress, with which they will be presented at a large wine fair in November.
TO Podgorica has also prepared promotional and informative material for all providers of private accommodation on the territory of the Capital City, and a series of photos with motifs of tourist locations on the territory of the Capital City has been distributed to the assemblies of apartment owners in Podgorica. The filming of promotional videos by segments for excursion, wine, active and congress tourism is also underway.
Events organized by TO Podgorica also traditionally attract a lot of attention from tourists, and they have prepared a rich program of events for the next period as well.
"In September, a number of events are planned, on September 13 we are organizing Paint & Wine - painting with wine on the beautiful plateau near Petrović Castle, where we also promote the wine segment of the tourist offer with a nice gathering in a natural environment. On September 22, we are organizing the Family Cup event, which is dedicated to parents with school-age children, with the aim of marking the beginning of the school year, and with the intention of strengthening the bond between parents and children through the competitive nature of the event and showing how important that support is for school-age children. announced Grnović.
He said that on September 27, they are marking the World Tourism Day with a promotional route Circle around Korita for foreign students of the Faculty of Tourism of the University of Donja Gorica, and in the evening they will arrange a concert in the city center. While on September 28, they organize the traditional event Traditions of Taste, which promotes the rich eno and gastronomic offer of the Capital City.
In addition to many promotional activities and a large number of events announced for the next period, TO Podgorica has other significant plans to make Podgorica a better and higher quality tourist destination.
"The tourist organization of Podgorica is making a plan to invest in the tourist infrastructure at the Bukumir and Rikavačka lakes next year by installing a lookout point, benches, deckchairs, providing sanitary facilities, signposts, hiking and walking trails. Also, the plan is to build an off-road bicycle path in Podgorica, and with the Capital City Development Strategy 2025 - 2030, the tourist organization will initiate the establishment of the Duklja Archaeological Park with a visitor center, will initiate the reconstruction of the city fortresses and the construction of a road that, after demarcating Podgorica from Zeta, the capital to the Skadar Lake so that the tourism industry can continue to valorize this jewel of the tourist offer", concluded Grnović.
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