The National Tourist Organization of Montenegro (NTO CG) participated in a unique tourist exchange dedicated to the promotion of tourism in the Balkans and Southeast Europe. "New Deal Europe 2024", which was held on April 16 in London.
The event brought together national tourism organizations, hoteliers, tour operators, travel agencies from 12 countries in the region from the Adriatic to the Black Sea and over 90 buyers, mostly from Great Britain, but also from all over the world. This year, a record number of participants was recorded, even 30% more than the previous year, including tourism experts and media representatives, which confirms the growing interest in the region.
Representatives of NTO CG presented the offer of the destination and held about 20 meetings with representatives of renowned tour operators, including lastminute.com, Kayak, Explore, Travelzoo, TravelSupermarket&icelolly.com, Cheritable Travel, Sudden Journeys, Lotus Voyager and others. In addition to the meetings, within the program, special attention was paid to Montenegro through the presentation of the tourist offer of the destination held by the director of the Montenegrin Congress Bureau within the NTO of Montenegro. Aleksandra Maksimović. The participants also had the opportunity to try Montenegrin specialties and taste wines, which further promoted the gastronomic offer of our destination.
"Given the continued growth in the number of tourists from the UK market, positive feedback from tour operators, and improved air connectivity, Montenegro has an excellent opportunity to position itself as a holiday destination on this market in 2024. With four airlines flying from four British cities to Montenegro, including new routes from Birmingham and Bristol to Tivat, our country is even more accessible to British tourists. We are convinced that this will further strengthen the attractiveness of the destination and open up new opportunities for the development of tourism in Montenegro," she said Maksimović.
Manuela Gualtieri in front of Lastminute, she said that their company takes over 20.000 passengers on vacation every day.
"Some destinations are becoming more popular in general, and the Eastern Mediterranean is attracting attention. Europeans have their favorite destinations, sure, but that doesn't mean they aren't ready to explore new places. In fact, one of the destinations that is growing the most in terms of online searches this year is Montenegro," Gualtieri pointed out.
A forum was also held on the topic "Is the tourism boom in Southeast Europe good for the region and can it be sustainable?" within which the data of the World Tourism Council WTTC were presented, according to which Montenegro is the leader in the list of Southeastern European countries in terms of the contribution of tourism to GDP of 29.1%.
One of the organizers of the New Deal Europe event, Tina Murn expressed his satisfaction with the great turnout this year.
"I would say that we are seeing exceptional interest in Montenegro in the English-speaking markets, especially because of the new excellent air connections. There is a huge demand and we want to see more Montenegrin companies, especially hotels, because they will establish good contacts here," said Murn.
Director of the New Deal Europe Tourism Exchange, Robert Dee, said that Southeast Europe is one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world, and the New Deal Europe Marketplace and Forum is the perfect platform for tourism representatives to meet and explore new opportunities.
In addition to the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro, the Hilton Podgorica and Dukley hotels, as well as the travel agency Montenegro Tourist Service, participated in this event.
