According to unofficial data received by the National Tourism Organization (NTO) from locals, 40,2 thousand tourists visited Montenegro at the end of last week, which is about three percent more than in the same period last year.
NTO representative Milena Vujović told the Mina-business agency that 15 thousand tourists visited Montenegro on May 40,2, which is a 42 percent increase compared to 2019.
When asked what the trends are and whether they are satisfied with the pace of preparations for the tourist season, Vujović replied that the situation is being implemented in accordance with their expectations.
"From the very beginning, we have been expecting a season somewhere at the level of last year, and this is also shown by the data we receive on a weekly basis. These are unofficial data on tourist traffic from local tourist organizations, and they mostly show that we are at the level of last year," said Vujović.
She stated that in some periods we are growing compared to the previous year and in some growth compared to 2019.
"At the beginning of April, we conducted a survey of the tourism industry to see how satisfied the tourism industry was with the announcements and what the situation was. The results of that survey showed us that the tourism industry is extremely optimistic when it comes to this summer tourist season," said Vujović.
According to her, as many as 92,8 percent of them said they were extremely satisfied with the announcements for the upcoming period and the summer months, while 7,2 percent of them were not satisfied with the announcements at that moment.
"Comparing this year's announcements with previous years, around 50 percent of them said that the announcements were at the same level as last year's, while 17 percent of them said that the announcements were better than the previous year and compared to 2019, and the rest were unable to assess at that point," Vujović said.
When asked whether we have managed to conquer new markets or are we still relying on traditional ones, Vujović replied that, according to the results of a survey they conducted, the best announcements come from the regional markets this time as well, followed by the markets of Great Britain, France and Germany.
"We are also recording good announcements from the markets of Poland, the Baltic countries, Turkey and Israel," added Vujović.
She stated that it is not about relying on traditional markets, it is more about focusing on some markets that are truly of strategic importance for Montenegro and where continuous work, or promotion, is very important.
"First and foremost, these are France, Great Britain and Germany. Our focus has really been on these markets in the previous period and in the spirit of the Uncover your wild side campaign, which is specifically intended for these markets," said Vujović.
She stated that, in addition to these markets, they really see the great importance of the markets of the Baltic countries, Poland, and some distant ones, such as China and the United States of America (USA).
"We are also expecting a continuation of the Uncover your wild side campaign soon, that is, adaptation for the region and some other markets, so this year the largest part of the budget funds will be allocated to digital promotion channels," announced Vujović.
Speaking about incentive measures in the field of tourism, she said that the Ministry of Tourism and the NTO issued a public call on May 12th for a program of incentive measures in the field of tourism for this year.
"The call will target the implementation of seven support measures, all with the aim of improving the competitiveness of the destination, expanding the offer and extending the tourist season," Vujović specified.
The Ministry of Tourism, as she explained, is implementing three support measures.
"The first relates to manifestations and event organization, the second to improving the quality of rural tourism, and the third to improving other segments of tourism and digitalization," Vujović stated.
The NTO will, as she reminded, implement four incentive measures.
"The first concerns the improvement of MICE tourism in Montenegro, the second the organization of study visits of tour operators and travel agents from source markets, excluding the regional market. The third measure relates to partnerships with tour operators and agents, also excluding the regional market, where the focus is on the markets of Great Britain, France, Germany and other source markets," said Vujović.
The fourth measure, she added, relates to the promotion of organized air arrivals through a joint marketing campaign with tour operators.
"The total amount together with the Ministry of Tourism is 1,4 million euros, while the measures implemented by the NTO have a budget of around one million euros," concluded Vujović.
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