The beaches of Ulcinj are ready to welcome the season, which promises, at least at the beginning, that tourism officials will not accumulate losses like last year.
The crowds at the swimming pools, especially on weekends, and the varied structure of guests, which varies up to the high-paying ones, set the tone for the introduction to the main season, which starts in ten days.
Tenant of the popular "Saranda" on the Velika beach Halil Truma says that the swimming pool has been open for guests since May 1, but that it has been fully operational since ten days ago, including the restaurant. At 160 meters of swimming area, four lifeguards were engaged.
"For now, most of our guests arrive from Kosovo. What is new compared to previous years is that, especially on weekends, guests come from Podgorica and other parts of central and northern Montenegro," says Truma.
Prices, as he stated, are at the level of last and previous years.
"We are satisfied because, at least for now, we have good customers," says Truma.
Its eponymous camp in the hinterland of the bathing area is also well visited.
"They are always our first guests, heralds of the season," says Truma.
A few kilometers away, at the famous Copacabana, the structure of guests is different - tourists from Western Europe and Serbia, especially from Belgrade and Novi Sad, dominate.
"Rarely good guests and rarely good consumers," admits the tenant of Copacabana Prelja Škrelja.
The season, he says, is incomparable compared to last year.
"If we had 70 percent compared to 2019, we would have to be satisfied. We all know what the corona virus did to us last year and this year," reminds Škrelja, who is also the president of the Association of Tenants of Ulcinj Swimming Pools.
They are crowding, he hopes, they are still expecting.
"Guests from Kosovo and the diaspora traditionally come later. We are ready to welcome them at the highest level", claims Škrelja.
And in Ibiza, in the Pine Forest, they are waiting for the diaspora that is theirs, as the manager of the beach bar says Danilo Dragović, traditionally attached.
Local and foreign guests are currently enjoying the charms of the unique ambiance.
"Considering the measures and the period of the beginning of the season, we are solid," says Dragović.
Last year at this time, he recalls, the borders were closed.
"We are waiting for people from the diaspora, they are our best consumers and most loyal guests," says Dragović.
However, the first crowds in Ulcinj always start at Pristan and Mala beach.
Tenant of a large part of Mala Plaža Ćazim Resulbegović he says that the season is better compared to last year, but that it is still far from the results from the brilliant times.
"As you can see, we are ready, everything is clean, all the rescuers are there," says Resulbegović.
Nine employees take care of order on his part of the beach.
Wild landfills spoil the image of Velika plaža
The citizens themselves made sure that everything did not go as it should - the eco patrols of the NGOs Green home and Zeleni korak determined that in the hinterland of Velika plaža, waste was dumped in more than 20 new locations. They point out that in the hinterland of Velika plaža and Ada Bojana there are more than 100 illegal landfills that harm the environment and tourism of the city.
At the same time, the Morski dobr states that there is currently an active contract on buffering roads in the hinterland of Velika plaža.
"It is a contract for the execution of works on urgent rehabilitation, which is implemented in the most vulnerable positions. The budget plan, which we received late, planned funds for the implementation of road buffering in the amount of 50.000 euros, which will be implemented through a public call for tender documents", answered "Vijesti".
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