The season in Ulcinj, according to tourism workers, has not met expectations. Prices higher than in previous years, poor infrastructure and illegal rental of accommodation are just some of the problems. The mayor of the municipality, Genci Nimanbegu, admits that the peak season has failed, while the tenant of the Prelja beach, Škrelja, warns that August cannot save the season.
Although the beginning of August brought some improvement, the tourist season in Ulcinj has not met expectations so far.
While they are delighted by the city's beauty, tourists are generally unpleasantly surprised by the prices, especially those returning to the sunniest and southernmost Montenegrin city. They say that this year is more expensive than ever.
Without justifying the price increases, the mayor of Ulcinj points out that the Municipality does not have the instruments or authority to influence prices. However, he believes that they were influenced, among other things, by the increase in beach rental prices, based on the decision of the Coastal Authority.
"This has influenced them to have an argument for raising prices, perhaps both psychologically and realistically. In every contact with business people, I appeal to them to correct those prices as much as possible. Ulcinj is still a city that is affordable for everyone's pocket, but you simply need to know where they are and that is where the job of both tourist organizations and businesses themselves is to advertise those services. So Ulcinj is not an expensive city, it is not too expensive, but certainly some services in certain places are at a level that is not for the average pocket," said the mayor of Ulcinj, Genci Nimanbegu.
Although the beginning of June was promising, Nimanbegu admits that the peak season has failed, with about nine percent fewer overnight stays than in July last year. However, good occupancy in early August could extend the season somewhat. When it comes to collecting the tourist tax and registering private accommodation, illegal landlords remain one of the key problems. In the area of the municipality controlled by the Coastal State alone, Nimanbegu claims, there are more than 800 shacks that are rented out illegally.
"In Bojana alone, there can be between 3.000 and 5.000 people staying as tourists at any given moment. We have approximately under 100 newly registered accommodation providers, which is the first time in many years that this regulatory number has increased. However, I am very dissatisfied with this number and I ask my services and state inspectors to really make an effort not to punish those who have been registering for years, which number is somewhere under 1300, and to see what is happening with these tourism service providers who are making a living, are not registered, and very little or no fees are charged from them," Nimanbegu points out.
One of the key causes of the poor season in Ulcinj is certainly the delay in renting beaches, which is confirmed by the president of the local Tenants' Association.
"I'm sure these people weren't thinking about the economy, about the tourism industry. They were thinking that Morsko dobro would make 35 million in turnover this year, but they didn't think that they would destroy the state to the tune of more, maybe hundreds of millions. Because they won on one side and lost five times on the other side," said Prelja Škrelja from the Ulcinj Beach Tenants Association.
Speaking about the peak season, Prelja says that in July, tourism workers had at least 40 percent less income than in the same period last year. Unlike the mayor, one of the tenants of Velika Plaza is not optimistic that August can improve the situation.
Therefore, says Prelja, this summer should be a lesson for both institutions and businesspeople.
"We don't need to think about spring. Now we are preparing. Now we are making plans to visit fairs. To send people there who are skilled and knowledgeable, to get closer to them, because there are many abroad, Europe, let's say the European Union, countries that would like to hear from people from the profession, from the profession. What can they get here," says Prelja Škrelja.
A season that has not met expectations is difficult to fix, but the next one can be saved if, for a change, preparations are made on time.
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