The tourist season in Tivat is currently going beyond expectations and, if it continues at this pace, could be one of the most successful in the last few years. This was stated by the Mayor of Tivat Municipality Željko Komnenović on Boje jutra, on TV Vijesti.
He pointed out that the success of the season is not only reflected in official tourism statistics, but also in indicators that local government monitors on a daily basis.
"If the morning is a good day, the season will probably be one of the better ones, maybe the best in recent times. The best indicators at the local level are water consumption and waste disposal. This shows that we have a good tourist season. We are also recording exceptional results from Tivat Airport, which served more than 490 thousand passengers in the first six months, which is a ten percent increase compared to last year, and June was a record month," said Komnenović.
He added that Tivat has direct flights to 43 destinations this year, including new lines to Barcelona, Amsterdam and Manchester, while seasonal lines to Niš, Kraljevo and Banja Luka have lived up to expectations.
According to him, there are currently ten percent more tourists staying in the city than last year, and the growth in hotel accommodation is particularly encouraging.
"The number of guests in hotels is 25 percent higher than last year, while the growth in private accommodation is around seven percent. What is perhaps most important is that at the moment there are almost no free accommodation capacities. This clearly shows that Tivat needs new hotel facilities and new hotel beds. Without quality hotels, there is no serious extension of the tourist season," said the Mayor.
He announced that the reconstructed former Hotel Tivat, which will be managed by Radisson, will open next summer, and that new smaller hotels are also opening.
Komnenović said that the biggest challenges in summer are traditionally traffic jams and overloaded infrastructure.
"In the season, every local problem multiplies. Everyone entering Tivat these days is witnessing huge traffic jams, primarily due to the funnel effect, where the four lanes of the boulevard are narrowed to two. This is something that we need to solve systematically, and that is why we expect that the designer of the main project of the future boulevard through Tivat will be selected soon. In the coming weeks, we will also change the traffic regime in the Lovanja neighborhood in order to relieve the entrance to the city," he said.
Komnenović believes that the new Spatial and Urban Plan will be one of the most important documents for the development of Tivat in the coming decades.
"The goal is to define the development of Tivat by 2040. This is a very serious job. In addition to traffic, we are thinking about bypasses, parking garages and all the amenities that the city needs. Tivat is only 46 square kilometers and we must manage the space very carefully. At the same time, as much as 70 percent of our territory is made up of green areas that we must preserve, because that is precisely why guests come to our city," Komnenović pointed out.
He stressed that the city's development can no longer be driven solely by the construction of new housing. He added that he expects the draft of the new plan to be presented to the public by the end of the year.
He also announced the start of one of the largest infrastructure projects in Tivat.
"We are signing a contract for a new phase of construction of the water supply and sewage network worth 28 million euros. This will define the city's stable water supply in the future. In order for the city to function, investments must be made in infrastructure, and this, unfortunately, has not been done in the past thirty years. Tivat today is not the city it was ten or fifteen years ago - the number of residents, investments and tourists has increased significantly and the infrastructure must follow this development," he said.
Commenting on the political situation in Tivat, Komnenović said that, despite the problems in the local parliament, the executive branch is functioning normally.
"There is no government blockade. If there was, we would not be discussing all these infrastructure projects today. There are delays in the work of the local parliament, and citizens have witnessed this in recent months. We believe in dialogue, but there are things we cannot overcome. We have a problem with an individual who acts unsystematically in order to achieve personal ambitions, and therefore we will not change our position," said Komnenović.
He stressed that political conflicts must not slow down the development of the city.
"Citizens are primarily interested in the economy, development and projects. High politics and party squabbles do not bring anything good to citizens. We have gained the trust of citizens to build infrastructure and develop Tivat, and not to deal with party interests," he said.
Speaking about cooperation with the Public Company Morsko dobro, Komnenović said that he was not satisfied with the way Tivat's beaches are managed.
"I am not satisfied with the situation on the beaches. Decisions are made ad hoc, without sufficient participation of local governments. Cities no longer participate in the development of temporary facilities programs, which is why we have dissatisfaction among citizens and tourists. Such decisions cannot be made without the local community, because it is they who know the needs of the area best," concluded Komnenović.
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