National Tourist Organization of Montenegro together with the relevant ministry participates in International tourist exchange ITB, which takes place from March 5 to 7 this year in Berlin.
ITB represents one of the two most significant events in the world of tourism. Organized in a B2B format, i.e. intended for business users, this fair offers an exceptional opportunity to establish cooperation with representatives of the tourism industry of German-speaking countries, as well as other markets.
On the first day of the fair, an event was organized for the German media and business representatives at the NTO Montenegro stand, during which the tourism offer of Montenegro was presented, as well as a tasting of Montenegrin cuisine and wine. The event opened Minister of Tourism, Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the North, Vladimir Martinovic who emphasized the importance of the German market for Montenegrin tourism due to the large share of tourists from this market in the total structure of guests during 2023.
"During the last year, in all types of accommodation, Germans were in fourth place in terms of the number of arrivals and overnight stays of foreign guests, but our goal is to make this number even better." Montenegro, with its diversified offer with a focus on nature-oriented tourist products, has something to offer to numerous target groups, and German tourists are recognized as consumers who love outdoor activities and all that nature can provide," he said. Martinovic.
On this occasion, the director NTO of Montenegro Ana Tripković Marković, Ph.D has confirmed that the German market is one of the most important markets for our destination.
"During 2023, tourists from this market were in second place in terms of arrivals and overnight stays in collective accommodation, and in fourth place in terms of arrivals and overnight stays in all forms of accommodation (collective and individual together). In addition, further forecasts are very optimistic, the data of Reiseanalyse (analysis of the FUR institute, which conducts an annual survey of the German tourist market) reveal that a significant part of the German population is planning or considering a vacation in Montenegro in the coming years. With 6% of the population, a total of 4,2 million individuals, expressing interest, we are in a good position to take full advantage of this important tourist market," said Tripković Marković.
She pointed out that this year NTO CG had the opportunity to present the active vacation offer segment at the fair in Munich and Stuttgart, and after this fair, it continues the promotion through digital channels and study groups of tour operators and media from Germany.
"With connections to 7 airports in Germany and intensive marketing activities, I am sure that this year we will use the potential of this market," concluded Tripković Marković.
Great interest in Montenegro was also confirmed by representatives of DER Touristik, one of the largest German tour operators.
"There is a huge interest in Montenegro, and specifically we have a significant increase in bookings from the German-speaking market. We already offer Montenegro to our clients and there is a noticeable increase in interest. In the post-pandemic period, we went from 1000 guests to 4 guests. In the coming period, our goal is to reach figures that are characteristic for DER Touristik, that is around 10 guests," he said. Alen Petrović, representative of DER Touristik.
During the fair, the Montenegrin delegation held a large number of meetings with representatives of the German economy, and on the second day of the fair, a meeting was held with the President of the German Association of Tour Operators and Travel Agencies (DRV).
"We are sure that the DRV Destination Forum, which is organized at the end of May, will contribute to Montenegro becoming more and more popular on the German market. Our goal is to equally promote the coast and the north of your country because we see equal potential. We look forward to further activities that we will carry out with the NTO of Montenegro and we can't wait to introduce our tour operators to the entire offer of your destination," he said. Norbet Fibik, President of the German Association of Tour Operators and Travel Agencies (DRV).
During the fair, the Minister of Tourism, Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the North, Vladimir Martinović, had the opportunity to meet with the Slovenian Minister of Tourism, Economy and Sports, and exchange experiences in the field of promotion.
"Montenegro is an extremely beautiful country and has great potential. I believe that for promotion it would be good to unite countries from the region, so we used the participation in the fair to discuss how to show that our countries are one of the most beautiful countries in the world. We have potential, and success will definitely be greater if we support each other," he said Slovenian Minister of Tourism, Economy and Sports, Matijaž Han.
In addition to the numerous meetings and presentations of the tourist offer, the director of the NTO of Montenegro was one of the panelists on the panel, which is part of the official convention program of the ITB stock exchange, called "No Risk, No Trouble - Lessons Learned on Resilience and Crisis-Proofing European Destinations"(No risk, no worries – Lessons learned on resilience and crisis insurance of European destinations).
The three-day performance at ITB was preceded by participation in the event "TravMedia International Media Marketplace (IMM)" in Berlin, which brought together representatives of renowned media and influencers from the German-speaking market. During this event, representatives of NTO CG had over 20 meetings, including meetings with Tourismus Lifestyle Verlag, Die Presse, News Magazin Osterreich, Spiegel, Frankfurter Rundschau, Allmediachannels, ALPIN, Globertotter, Rhein – Neckar – Zeitung, Merian and TV Kabels Eins .
ITB fair is one of the most visited tourist fairs in the world and gathers representatives of institutions, organizations and businesses from more than 170 countries. This year, the fair attracted 5.500 exhibitors, and it is expected that, like the previous year, it will gather over 100 visitors.
In addition to NTO Montenegro, the following presented their offer at the stand of Montenegro: strategic partner NTO Montenegro national airline Air Montenegro, tourist organizations of Bar, Herceg Novi, Kotor and Podgorica, Aycon Hotels Group, Hotel Group Budvanska Rivijera, Hotels Group Montenegro Stars, Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay Resort, Nikki Beach Resort & Spa, voco Podgorica (an IHG hotel), Gold Travel DMC, Gulliver Montenegro Travel Agency, Jack Travel, Monte Mare Travel, Montenegro Tourist Service DMC and Montenegro Travel Club.
