The Tourist Organization (TO) of Bar earned more than 146 thousand euros from renting prefabricated houses during the New Year's program in Bar, while they earned drastically less for the same facilities in 2023-2024, just over 33 thousand euros, and in December 2022, only 5.688 euros.
Businessmen involved in the hospitality industry were given the use of 13 such facilities, and the companies acquired this right through a public competition held by the Bar Municipality.
The obligations for caterers stipulated in the competition were not to offer less than 900 euros, while at the end of 2022 or the beginning of 2023, the minimum offer was set at 200 euros.
Of the 28 bidders who applied, 13 were awarded the lease, and the highest bid was a record 14.001 euros, putting the company "Hostelerija" at the top of the list. The highest bid in December 2023 was 3.150 euros.
The lowest bid of those who received the lease option this year was 10.010 euros, offered by the company "Mornar Group", while in 2023-2024, the last accepted bid was a company that offered 2.224 euros.
When all accepted bids are added up, the figures show that the total earnings of the Bar Municipal Administration from 13 bidders amounted to 146.927 euros.
The second-ranked bid was 13.131 euros, and the third-ranked bid was 12.226 euros, while the bids that “passed” were no less than 10 thousand euros. This also represents the highest amounts that Bar caterers have been willing to give since TO implemented this practice.
A deposit of 50 euros and the conclusion of a lease agreement were mandatory, while in previous years that amount was twice as much - 100 euros. Other conditions concerned the variety of food and drinks, as well as the legal legitimacy of the companies applying.
The New Year's Eve program in Bar, planned for the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025, was canceled due to the mass murder that occurred in Cetinje on January 1st last year, in which several people lost their lives.
A tenant, who wished to remain anonymous, told "Vijesti" that he and several friends applied for the "house" through the company of one of them, and that they paid for the rent with joint funds and were unable to get it out, leaving the three of them with a deficit of three thousand euros each.
He claims they misjudged the situation - they were hoping for more traffic, especially after last year's cancellations. The reality was a bit different, he claims, as there was not much interest in the table reservations they charged for, and they noticed that some guests were bringing their own drinks in bottles, while they would order one or two rounds at their stand.
According to him, there are those who have fared better, which he learned by exchanging experiences with other tenants, and these are allegedly those who were closer to the stage and managed to make a good profit.
With the "Party of the Nineties", with the performance of the most popular performers from that period, the people of Bar and their guests entered the year 2026 on December 31st, and the stage was shared by the names that marked the nineties in the Balkans.
The New Year's program, organized by the Tourist Board and under the auspices of the Municipality of Bar, began on December 29th with a performance by a regional star. Aleksandre Prijović. Natasa Bekvalac performed on December 30th, entertained the audience on January 1st Zdravko Colic, and on January 2nd Aco Pejović.
The Bar TO previously announced that over 100 thousand visitors attended the Novo Diž happening during its five days and estimated that over 30 thousand people listened to Čolić.
Bonus video:
