Continuous investment in tourism is the result of the responsible attitude of the current Podgorica government towards the capital city, fellow citizens and tourists, of which there are more and more every year, claims Tanja Popović, a candidate for councilor from the list "For the good of the citizens of Podgorica - Victory coalition Milo Đukanović".
In a statement sent to the media, Popović said that according to MONSTAT data, Podgorica records an increase in the number of tourists every year.
"According to MONSTAT data, in the first quarter of 2018, 27.547 tourists visited the capital, i.e. 43,12% more compared to the same period in 2017, and 45.450 overnight stays were achieved, i.e. 17,83% more compared to comparative period," says Popović.
Through the organization of significant international forums, Podgorica, as stated in the announcement, has positioned itself as an attractive destination for business and congress tourism.
"So in April of this year, we became a member of the Association ECM - European Cities Marketing (an association of 110 European cities - congress destinations), which will further contribute to the positioning of the capital as an increasingly attractive MICE destination," said the candidate for councilor on the DPS list.
Apart from the great potential for tourism development, adds Popović, they are working to make Podgorica an even more attractive tourist destination.
"We pay great attention to the preservation and highlighting of cultural heritage, additional tourism valorization of natural resources, promotion of the potential for the development of wine tourism, and forms of active vacation. Also, by acquiring the status of category A tourist destination, the image of Podgorica as such has been improved, and the tourist offer has become more comprehensive ", the statement continues.
"The implementation of the RiTour cross-border project, which includes five work packages, is underway, namely: Tourist valorization of the archaeological site of Duklja, Procurement and installation of solar info panels at two locations in the city with tourist content in multiple languages, Tourist valorization of waterways in Podgorica (Morača River), Training of personnel - training of tourist guides specialized in the territory of the Capital City and Development of the Tourism Development Strategy of Podgorica as the Capital City, which will provide completely new guidelines in the tourism development of Podgorica".
In the coming period, claims Popović, there will be a series of traditional events such as Patišpanja Day and Carp Day, which, according to her, are already taking on a regional character.
Popović announced the opening of info points at the most frequented locations in the city so that "tourists would have access to all the necessary service and information about tourist locations" in the city and Montenegro.
"Also, we have successfully completed training for 50 tourist guides specialized in the territory of the Capital City. We are also continuing the project of connecting with the capitals of the region, started in 2016, with the aim of exchanging experiences, mutual presentation of the tourist offer and creating a joint tourist product that we can offer. and on a wider market," said Tanja Popović.
"In 2014, at the initiative of TOP, the capital city received a category "A" tourist site from the relevant ministry, after 20 years of "B" category. Two years ago, the city of Podgorica was awarded by the European Commission for its long-term commitment to sustainable tourism at the first joint awarding of the ETIS and Accessible Tourism Awards. In April of that year, the Podgorica tourist organization became a member of NECSTOUR (Network of European Regions for a Sustainable and Competitive Tourism) - a network of European regions for the promotion and development of sustainable and competitive tourism destinations." it is stated in the announcement.
Popović claims that a large number of factors influenced "these impressive results in the field of tourism" and notes that these are, first of all, increased promotional activities in the region and "important markets", as well as the opening of new accommodation facilities and "high-quality and branded hospitality facilities" with more and more content in the city, but also "a large number of manifestations and events of a local, regional and international character that were organized in the previous period".
"The current city government, led by DPS, sees the development of tourism as a chance for new jobs, new investments and investments, but above all as a need for our fellow citizens to proudly show what makes Podgorica an attractive city that has experienced in the last two decades true transformation and rebirth," concludes Popović
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