Saving the tourist season or generating at least part of the income from it is possible if we immediately start promoting Montenegro on the international market as a "corona-free" destination, given that our country is recording good results in the fight against the pandemic, said Petar Vasović, member Main board of the URA movement.
"Of course, we are not yet sure when the borders will be opened, without which there is no tourism, and therefore no income, but we have to do what we can. "Montenegro must do promotion through foreign media and important tourist websites, and try to join the ranks of countries that are treated as "corona-free" destinations on the international tourist market," Vasović said.
"It is true that in our country there are patients with the coronavirus, but that percentage is significantly lower than in some prestigious destinations such as Italy, France or Spain. This means that Montenegro has the opportunity to stand out as a country of "less risk" and to offer its tourist product to the citizens of those countries that will at some point open their borders for the unhindered passage of people," said Vasović.
For URU, the aid offered by the Government of Montenegro to the tourism industry is insufficient and they state that new measures should be considered, but in addition to assistance in grants, innovative measures should also be considered.
"So far we haven't heard anything about how we can structurally help tourism. There was no mention of vouchers for the local population, nor of the sale of "hotel bonds", which are just some of the measures used in the world. This is not surprising if we bear in mind that Montenegro does not even have a minister of tourism. The economic branch on which the budget depends to a large extent, and our National Tourism Organization seems to be non-existent. So far, we have not heard any proposal or measure from the NTO," says Vasović.
"Revenues from tourism in Montenegro for 2019 amounted to 1,1 billion euros, which is at the level of almost 25 percent of GDP. This year, a huge drop is expected, and the question is whether there will be a season at all, given that the border closure measure is still in force," concludes a member of the Main Board of the URA movement.
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