Montenegro has so far had unplanned construction of tourist facilities and residential areas in the coastal region, which has caused damage to the sustainable development of tourism, burdened the transport and communal infrastructure, and negatively affected nature and the quality of life in tourist centers with the highest frequency of tourist traffic, as stated in the Spatial Plan of Montenegro until 2040, which the Government adopted on Thursday last week.
Therefore, the Plan provides guidelines for municipal spatial and urban plans to limit the construction of new residential buildings within a thousand meters of the seashore, to preserve the remaining attractive undeveloped locations with luxury hotel complexes with sports and recreational facilities, infrastructure and greenery, while protecting cultural heritage and natural protected areas.
The goal is a high-quality tourist destination.
The goal of all proposed measures in the Spatial Plan is for Montenegro to become a high-quality tourist destination with diverse forms of tourism offer, so that this industry can have an even greater impact on the growth of gross domestic product and the standard of living of Montenegrin citizens, which by 2040 should be equal to the average standard and quality of life in the EU.
"In development, the focus is on a product and content with high added value that takes into account the local specificities and regional characteristics of Montenegro and is in line with the development needs of the economy. In this sense, it is necessary to achieve success in balancing between satisfying the development interests of the private sector (which has an interest in achieving commercial success) and the public interest, whose primary interest is the preservation and optimal valorization of a limited resource. Such a variant of balanced development best responds to two key strategic and development challenges, (1) the need to improve the general competitiveness of the tourist offer and (2) the preservation of an extremely valuable resource of space. To date, this balance has been disrupted, which is most visible through the unplanned construction of tourist facilities and secondary housing facilities in the Primorje region, but also through insufficient transport and technical infrastructure, as well as negative impacts on nature and the quality of life in tourist destinations with the highest frequency of tourist traffic," the Spatial Plan concludes.
There was no public benefit from the growth of private accommodation
It is also stated that residential construction on the coast has not contributed to the growth of tourism revenue due to the large shadow economy in this area, and that at the same time it has degraded the space, taken over locations for luxury tourism, burdened the infrastructure and caused environmental problems.
"Spatial plans in all regions, i.e. municipalities of Montenegro, should direct the development of accommodation capacities towards diversification and high quality. This is a particular challenge in terms of controlling the strong growth of private accommodation and capacities in non-commercial facilities, primarily in coastal areas, which burden the general infrastructure and in some cases generate other negative consequences, such as high seasonality, lower level of general product quality, etc. Through the protection of space, as a fundamental development resource, it is necessary to provide the possibility of strategically defined development, in accordance with destination positioning, but also with the fundamental postulates of sustainability, with the aim of reducing the negative impact on the environment. Additionally, in areas under a certain level of protection, investment in new or expansion of existing capacities and tourism infrastructure must be regulated on the basis of special spatial and urban plans for the given area," the recommendations state.
They also point out that care must be taken to ensure that the planning and construction of tourist areas protects the public interest in terms of environmental protection, cultural assets, and the socio-economic interests of the local population.
"Tourist zones, or rather, projects implemented in individual zones, need to be integrated into the general ambience of the destination in a visually and practically meaningful way and, through the implementation of projects, have a positive impact on the development and sophistication of wider areas. The lack of general infrastructure such as roads, sewage, water supply, electricity and internet has a strong negative impact on the implementation of tourism projects, so the general provision of infrastructure is one of the key prerequisites for the controlled and sustainable development of tourism," the Plan states.
The goal is 7.000 new beds in luxury hotels.
In terms of tax policy, it is recommended that higher taxes should prevent the conversion of agricultural land and attractive tourist zones and locations into construction land for market apartments, while lower taxes should support the construction of productive facilities in tourism.
"In the Primorje region, the focus of growth in absolute terms is set on capacities in hotels and similar facilities, where 7.000 new beds are planned, exclusively in 4 and 5 star categories, while a reduction in capacities is planned in lower categories. Due to the pronounced unregistered accommodation, the Primorje region has significant problems with traffic in the summer period, water supply, wastewater channeling, energy, and related public services and facilities. It is necessary to take priority measures for the infrastructural and communal equipment of the Primorje region - urban centers of municipalities, in order to ensure the planned tourism development," the plan states.
It is also recommended to work on further improving the transport infrastructure, raising the quality of the offer, stronger activation of the northern region and rural hinterland, as well as to utilize spatial potential for the development of cultural, religious, sports and other special forms of tourism.
The plan proposes improving the infrastructure of health institutions and developing health tourism, developing sectors related to tourism in order to reduce import dependence (food industry, agriculture, business services sector, construction, transport infrastructure), as well as to alleviate seasonality in tourism and ensure diversification of the tourist offer.
It is also stated that it is necessary to improve the system of measuring and monitoring tourist capacities, i.e. tourist traffic, through advanced digital systems.
Sanitation measures for the Budva area
For the coastal area in Budva, Bečići and Petrovac, rehabilitation measures are recommended, while warnings are issued about the questionable quality of construction in relation to seismic risks (from earthquakes).
"It is recommended to remediate urban problems due to the concentration of tourist and residential construction in the narrow coastal strip (Budva, Bečići, Petrovac), and further control, especially from the aspect of pronounced seismic risk and the risk of other disasters. It is recommended to respect the coastal setback when planning and building facilities, and to protect beaches and the sea from pollution," the recommendations for this part of the coast state.
Special measures are planned for several tourist locations.
"Special attention at a more detailed planning level should be paid to the naturally valuable zones of Buljarica, the islands of Sveti Nikola, Sveti Stefan, Miločer, where tourism can be developed, while preserving the special natural characteristics of the area and respecting all restrictions from the aspect of protecting natural and cultural values, through sustainable construction, in accordance with all ecological principles," the Plan states.
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