By September of last year, Bar was visited by 243.239 tourists and 1.999.003 overnight stays were recorded in the same period, according to data from the Statistical Office (MONSTAT), which has not published final figures for the last three months.
The same statistics showed that 105.300 tourists stayed in collective accommodation (hotels) during that period, while 137.939 stayed in private accommodation. Although the difference between those who chose apartments and hotels is small, the contrast is reflected in the number of overnight stays: 460.436 in hotels and over three times as many, 1.538.567, in private accommodation.
A survey of tourist attitudes and spending in Bar in 2025, conducted by the Tourist Organization (TO) of Bar, during the summer season from July 1 to August 31 on a sample of 703 domestic and foreign tourists, shows that among those who visited Bar during that period, the majority were between 36 and 45 years old (41,3 percent).
In second place are tourists over 56 years old (about 22 percent), while tourists aged 46 to 55 accounted for about 19 percent, and younger tourists under 35 accounted for only about 16 percent.
When it comes to types of accommodation, the largest number of tourists stayed in individual accommodation facilities (76,7), while 23,3 percent of tourists stayed in collective accommodation facilities, of which more than half (53,7 percent) stayed in three-star hotels, 37,2 percent in four-star hotels, and only 9,1 percent in five-star hotels.
"Compared to 2024, in 2025 there was a significant decrease in the number of tourists choosing high-category hotels," says the results of a survey by the Tourist Office of Bar, which "Vijesti" has access to.
Namely, the number of tourists who stayed in four-star hotels in 2024 amounted to 59,9 percent of total visitors, 22,7 percent in five-star hotels, while 17,4 percent stayed in three-star hotels.
In terms of the origin of tourists, as in previous years, the largest number of tourists in 2025 will come from Serbia - 35,7 percent, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina - 16,7 percent. They are followed by citizens of Russia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, as well as Ukraine and Belarus, and in smaller percentages from other European countries.
The Bar Tourist Office has noticed an increase in the share of Montenegrin tourists in relation to the total number, with the share of domestic tourists in 2025 being 2,5 percent, while in 2024 their share was 1,9 percent.
"Compared to the previous two years, there is a trend of decreasing the number of tourists coming from Western Europe, as well as the Russian market, at the expense of the growth of tourists coming from non-European markets, as well as the growth of the number of tourists coming from Ukraine and Belarus," they stated.
This change in the market structure, as they assessed, indicates the need to redefine promotional activities and strengthen presence in new emitting markets (Eastern European and non-European), while at the same time retaining traditional Western European markets.
Analyzing the spending power of tourists, they noticed that more than half of tourists (62,6 percent) who stayed in Bar during the 2025 tourist season had an average monthly household income of 1.001 to 2.000 euros.
There are fewer tourists with a monthly income of 2.001 to 3.501 euros (34,4 percent), and a small percentage of tourists with a monthly income of more than 3.501 euros (2,2 percent), as well as those with an income of 501 to 1.000 euros (0,7 percent). Due to these data, the Tourist Office assessed that there was a decrease in the participation of tourists with a higher income level compared to previous years.
This is supported by data that tourists whose average monthly household income is 3.500 euros and more accounted for only about two percent in 2025, while in 2024 they accounted for (24,6 percent), and in 2023 their share in the total tourist structure was the largest and amounted to 41 percent.
The Municipality of Bar as a tourist destination in 2025 was most often chosen by tourists coming with their families, while the second most common were tourists coming with their partners. The primary motive for arrival remains passive rest and relaxation (97 percent), followed by active rest (50,9 percent), then the motive of enjoying food and drink - gastronomy (58,7 percent), exploring natural beauties (27,1 percent) and exploring cultural sights, events and manifestations (26,5 percent).
Those who arrived in Montenegro by plane mostly landed at Golubovci Airport (63,3 percent), then Tivat Airport (26,7 percent), and Tirana Airport (9,6 percent).
When it comes to recommendations from tourists, the majority of them believe that work should be done to improve utility services (23,7 percent), infrastructure development of beaches and promenades (15 percent), then to regulate traffic jams (13,9 percent) and improve traffic infrastructure (12,7 percent).
The analysis of spending included an analysis of total and daily tourist spending per person in euros. Spending was also analyzed by type of expense, as well as spending in relation to the location of the tourist survey.
The total average travel costs per person in Bar during the 2025 summer tourist season were 544,9 euros, while the average daily costs per person were 79,3 euros. The total average family travel spending in Bar during the 2025 summer season was 1.634,6 euros.
Compared to 2023 and 2024, the Bar Tourist Office noticed a trend of decreasing total daily consumption per person, but at the same time "an increase in total travel consumption resulting from an increase in the average number of overnight stays, as well as an increase in the number of tourists coming to the destination with their families," they stated.
Although a decrease in daily consumption per person was recorded, an increase in total consumption and length of stay contributes to a greater economic effect per tourist and indicates the stability of the destination in conditions of changing market structure, concluded the results of the TO Bar research.
Compared to 2023 and 2024, the Bar Tourist Office noticed a trend of decreasing total daily consumption per person, but at the same time "an increase in total travel consumption resulting from an increase in the average number of overnight stays, as well as an increase in the number of tourists coming to the destination with their families," they stated.
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