Montenegro is facing an uncertain tourist season this year due to the situation in the Middle East, the introduction of a visa regime for visitors from Russia, Turkey and other countries, the grey economy and private accommodation providers who do not register guests, but also because it does not yet have a system for recording tourist traffic...
This was told to "Vijesti" by interlocutors from the tourism sector, including the Ministry of Tourism, the Board of the Tourism Association of the Chamber of Commerce (PKCG), the National Tourism Organization (NTO) and the Kotor Tourism Organization.
In all types of accommodation in the period January - March this year, Montenegro had 169.419 tourists who made 1.079.484 overnight stays, which is 6.400 tourists less, or 3,8 percent, compared to the same period last year, while the number of overnight stays decreased by 41.000, or 3,7 percent. This is the third year in a row that shows a decline in the number of overnight stays, "Vijesti" previously reported.
According to Monstat data, the main reason for the decline is the drastic decrease in the number of overnight stays of guests from Turkey, which has been going on since the incident in the Podgorica settlement of Zabjelo, and then the series of attacks on Turkish citizens at the end of October last year, as well as the continued decline in the number of guests from Russia...
Visas for guests who bring in 320 million
To fully align with the visa policy of the European Union (EU), Montenegro needs to introduce visas for citizens of five countries, including Russia, Turkey, China, Belarus and Saudi Arabia. They can currently stay in Montenegro without a visa for up to 30 days, which is not in line with EU foreign policy.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced at the end of last year that Montenegro would introduce visas for citizens of these countries by September 2026 at the latest. The visa-free regime was abolished for Turkish citizens in October last year, but the Government suspended the decision at the end of 2025.
Guests from these countries recorded 3,4 million overnight stays last year, which is 23 percent, or almost a quarter of the total.
Official estimates of tourism turnover state that the average tourist spends 94 euros per day on accommodation, food and related costs upon arrival, which means that these almost three and a half million overnight stays are worth 320 million euros.
The Tourism Committee of the Ministry of Tourism of Montenegro proposed that an electronic system be introduced before the introduction of the visa regime and that the process be made as easy as possible.
"Along with the challenges and uncertainty brought about by the current geopolitical situation in the Middle East and the fact that there is almost no possibility of adjusting the prices of services in tourism (the destination's pricing policy does not sufficiently follow the price-quality ratio), an additional challenge is the announcement that a visa regime will be introduced for citizens of important source markets for us starting this year (the markets of Russia and Turkey alone together account for 21 percent of overnight stays in Montenegro in 2025). A specific proposal, which the Chamber of Commerce has been continuously emphasizing for a long time, would be to intensify activities on the implementation of an electronic visa system before introducing visas, which would simplify and shorten the process of obtaining visas," the Committee stated.
Adapt to trends
When asked what they expect in the continuation of the tourist season, the Committee emphasized that the growth in the number of tourist arrivals is not accompanied by overnight stays and that this is not a short-term disruption, but that we need to adapt to it. They also stated that for Montenegro, arrivals are not the key, but the quality of tourist traffic - length of stay and spending per guest, and that it is important to highlight Montenegro as a safe, accessible and attractive tourist destination, and to further valorize that image through marketing and digital means.
They believe that the season's preparedness is at a satisfactory level, but that challenges remain, including several hours of delays at the borders, traffic jams on the coast, problems with communal arrangements and a shortage of labor, and that they believe that the season must be prepared in a timely manner, with clear coordination between all levels of government, active involvement of the tourism industry...
The Committee stressed that in the first three months of this year, the most overnight stays by foreign tourists were recorded by guests from Russia - 31 percent of the total, but that this is a 14 percent weaker result than in the same period last year. They also added that visits from Serbia accounted for 19 percent, an improvement of 26 percent compared to the first quarter of 2025, while guests from Turkey made up six percent of the total, or almost half as many as in the same period last year.
"During the winter season that is behind us (the first quarter of 2026), collective accommodation in Kolašin recorded a growth of 28 percent, while in Žabljak a decrease of 17 percent compared to the same period last year. The challenge remains stagnation in the quality of consumption. The first quarter usually brings about five percent of total tourism revenues and it is too early to assess the year ahead, but the decline in the number of arrivals of 1,3 percent, as well as the decline in the number of overnight stays of 2,6 percent, indicates that tourists are still staying for shorter periods, which automatically reduces spending per guest and affects total revenues. In the previous period, oscillations in key tourism indicators were recorded, but a trend of shortening stays is clearly visible," the Committee emphasized.
The most important issues are air availability, prices and quality.
They believe that it is important for tourism to resolve the issue of valorization of Podgorica and Tivat airports, improve infrastructure, increase capacity, number and frequency of flights to key markets, but that night flights remain a challenge in Tivat. They emphasized that work should continue to improve Montenegro's air accessibility, plan cooperation with low-cost companies and introduce routes of public interest.
"It is very important to consult the tourism industry and inform it in a timely manner about the marketing activity plan at the destination level, as well as when defining strategic routes. The Tourism Board continuously points out that without a serious and long-term air accessibility policy, there is no sustainable growth in tourism. Rising energy prices and inflation increase business costs in the entire tourism sector. However, an additional challenge is that rising prices in tourism are often not accompanied by rising quality, and the market no longer accepts such a relationship. The industry is already faced with the choice between increasing prices and falling demand or reducing profitability. Without improving quality and a clear pricing policy, competitiveness is lost compared to other Mediterranean destinations. Profit in 2026 will not depend on the number of guests, but on managing costs and prices," they stated.
They also add that Montenegro must introduce a strategic approach to tourism development, with a focus on sustainability, simpler procedures and partnership with the economy, in order not to lose the race with the competition.
Tender for tourist registration is coming
The Ministry of Finance announced in 2023 that they plan to introduce the “eVisitor” system, modeled on the Croatian one, in order to obtain more precise data, reduce the gray area in tourism, and improve the collection of tourist tax, VAT, and corporate and income tax. The platform is an original product of the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ), which was introduced ten years ago and has since been improved several times and linked to institutions at the local, county, and state levels, and through it more precise data is obtained on the number of tourists, overnight stays, capacity utilization, guest structure, etc.
From the department News of Vuković did not respond to inquiries about this system, but referred "Vijesti" to the Ministry of Tourism and the Tax Administration.
The Ministry of Tourism did not comment on the figures from the beginning of this year, but they said that the establishment of a system for electronic records of tourist traffic modeled after the Croatian "eVisitor" has been discussed for ten years, that there have been several initiatives, but without institutional continuity, a clear management model and secured money and technical solutions, the project did not come to life.
They point out that Montenegro is the only country in the region that does not yet have this system, which directly affects the quality of statistics, tourism policy planning and capacities to combat the grey economy. They stated that the system has been given the status of a state priority, so announcements have moved on to concrete steps, as the Government has formed an operational team to determine the concept and propose a model for establishing a system for monitoring tourist traffic.
"In July 2025, the Government of Montenegro adopted the Information on the Establishment of the Tourist Information System (TIS), which for the first time gave the project full institutional confirmation, defined the implementation framework and estimated minimum budget of 1,37 million euros. The Ministry of Tourism and Public Administration are responsible for continuing the further implementation of the project. At the moment, the Ministry of Tourism is working intensively on preparing a public call and tender documentation for the selection of the contractor, and it is planned that the public call will be published during the second quarter (April-June). At the same time, work is being done on finalizing the technical specifications and connecting the future system with the databases of other institutions," the department headed by Simonida Kordić.
They emphasized that the key difference now is that the project is no longer at the level of an idea or announcement, but rather has an operational team, a completed expert analysis, money saved and a defined plan, so Montenegro, as they state, has entered the final phase of establishing a system that will bring precise data, greater market transparency and a stronger response to the shadow economy.
They claim that they collaborated with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), conducted an analysis of digital flows and tools in tourism, mapped existing platforms, databases and information exchange models between institutions and the private sector, and consulted more than 50 institutional representatives, and that the findings show that Montenegro lacks a single and interoperable system for reliable and up-to-date data in real time.
Atypical decline in the number of guests from Russia and Turkey
When asked about the continued trend of declining numbers and overnight stays, the NTO emphasized that tourism results cannot be viewed solely through aggregate figures, but in a broader context. They claim that the influx of guests from Russia and Ukraine in the previous period has led to a certain imbalance in official statistics, especially in the number of overnight stays.
They state that these citizens have been resolving the issue of their status for years, and due to the specific nature of their stay, there has been an atypical increase in the number of overnight stays and an increase in the average length of stay of tourists.
The NTO points out that the situation is gradually stabilizing and the number of their overnight stays is decreasing, which was recorded in the first three months of this year.
"This year, a similar situation is particularly visible in the case of Turkish tourists, who recorded a drop in overnight stays of around 50 percent during the first three months. Therefore, an additional analysis was conducted in which Russian and Turkish citizens were excluded from the statistics, both for this and the same period last year. Such data show a significantly different picture - a growth of three percent in arrivals and as much as 11 percent in overnight stays, which confirms a positive trend in most source markets. The data recorded in the north of the country, i.e. in the most important tourist centers during the winter, are encouraging. Thus, in Kolašin, during the first three months of this year, 35 percent more arrivals and 28 percent more overnight stays were recorded in collective accommodation. Most municipalities on the coast that are important for the first part of the winter season, i.e. the New Year holidays, recorded a significant growth in collective accommodation during the first three months of the current year," said the NTO.
They also emphasized that the beginning of the year is predominantly related to the winter season, which is not a typical indicator of overall expectations for the main tourist season, so with geopolitical developments, it is difficult to give a precise forecast. They point out that European trends also show that tourists are increasingly choosing shorter stays, and rising costs are affecting changes in habits, but that data from the European Travel Commission shows that 81 percent of Europeans are planning to travel during the spring and summer of this year.
They claim that, according to their reports, Montenegro is always among the top ten ranked destinations.
Cooperation between institutions against the gray market
The NTO states that the shadow economy in the field of accommodation represents one of the challenges faced by many destinations, including Montenegro.
"The presence of unregistered accommodation makes it difficult to accurately monitor tourism traffic, as a certain number of tourists staying in Montenegro remain outside official records. Therefore, data on arrivals and overnight stays do not always fully reflect the actual volume of tourism traffic. Resolving this problem is complex and requires inter-institutional cooperation."
The NTO emphasizes that global developments cannot be influenced, but that for the best possible results, continuous work can be done to improve the quality of the offer, strengthen competitiveness, and further develop products.
They added that this year they are running a three-month campaign with Warner Bros Discovery in 40 markets, on their two tourism promotion channels, Discovery and Travel.
They also stated that this year's Tourism Incentive Measures Program provides support for organized air arrivals through joint marketing campaigns with tour operators, which, as they claim, has proven to be a very successful model for attracting tourists in previous years.
A total of 19 state inspectors for the entire country
As explained to "Vijesti", private companies with more than 16 accommodation units are supervised by the state tourism inspection, and those with fewer - by the local one.
The Ministry of Tourism's Tourism Inspectorate currently has 22 inspectors, while 19 will be working during the summer tourist season.
They told "Vijesti" that they have challenges with staff, but that they will work efficiently during this season, just like last.
"This is also shown by data from last year, when 9.324 inspections were carried out, 1.386 more than in 2024; 4.081 irregularities were identified, 1.072 more than in 2024; 4.292 misdemeanor orders were issued in the amount of 2.228.090 euros. That is 1.982 more misdemeanor orders in the amount of more than 1.111.680 euros than in 2024," they pointed out.
"Vijesti" sent questions about the control of private accommodation and the shadow economy to inspectorates in all coastal municipalities, but responses only came from Tivat and Kotor.
The Tivat Municipality's Secretariat for Inspection Affairs, which controls the registration of private accommodation in the Central Tourist Register, has six inspectors, who also deal with communal services, housing, traffic, water monitoring, and waste management. They said they have a staff deficit, but that they plan to hire an inspector who would be in charge only of tourism.
When asked about controls, they stated that last year, based on reports from citizens, they had two cases in which irregularities were identified and then eliminated, while there were none this year.
TO Kotor: An electronic system would solve many problems
The Kotor Tourist Organization (TO) emphasized that there is still a gray economy in the accommodation rental sector, that it is smaller in that municipality, but that there is still a large number of rental companies that do not register guests.
They told "Vijesti" that the inspection of private accommodation in that city is carried out by tourist inspectors from the Inspection Services, but that they do not know how many of them will be working during this year.
"We regret to note that there is still a 'gray zone' in the accommodation rental business. Depending on the city, it is more or less represented. When it comes to Kotor, it has been significantly reduced, but we still have a very large number of landlords who have undeclared accommodation and who do not register guests. This problem is very easily solved and the Kotor Tourist Office, as the initiator, with the support of other local Tourist Offices, has offered ideas and assistance to the relevant ministry several times over the past five years."
They point out that the first step would be to send a generated SMS message to all guests entering the country, so that they would be informed of the accommodation provider's obligations towards them, along with a welcome. They add that it is also necessary to facilitate the registration process through an application, such as the Croatian "eVisitor", as well as check-out and payment of fees over the phone, which they did independently last year with several other local TOs.
The Kotor Border Patrol believes that a computer program is needed that would unify all border crossings and provide border police with information on how long and where a tourist has stayed in the country, as well as whether the tourist tax has been paid.
They point out that they believe this would shut down illegal publishers and force them to register guests.
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