"What is particularly important is that we have a much larger number of overnight stays, meaning that people are more present here and that Niksic is not just a transitional stop. The number of overnight stays in a municipality gives the possibility for a higher level and categorization of the tourist resort itself, so it is in everyone's interest in one municipality the number of nights is higher, "Popovic said. Thus, from 2013 until the end of 2017, the number of tourists increased by 12,469 and the number of overnights for 3,119. Last year, according to the official Monstata data, Nikšić was visited by 22,356 tourists, while the number of overnight stays was 8,815.
According to the Director of TO, last year, tourist tax was charged in the amount of 9.763,95 euros."This year, as of 31st May, we recorded a total of 6,699 guests, and there were 2,803 overnight stays. However, August is the month when festivals are held in Niksic, and then we expect the highest number of guests. What gives us hope that this number will be even greater in the future is the planned openings of new small hotels ". Beautiful nature, re-evaluated cultural-historical monuments and quality festivals, with improved accommodation capacity, according to the director of the local tourist organization, are a good idea to expect even better results in the future. "Every year the quality is raised for one step more. The conditions in accommodation capacities improved, the offer is better, and the tourist product was raised to a higher level. All this gives us the hope that these modest data perhaps for some of the coastal municipalities but for us very significant, will be even better in the future. "
Popovic hopes that when all significant cultural and historical monuments get a proper tourist purposes, it would be possible to offer tourists the so-called " cultural routes”, and for now they are trying to get closer to tourist organizations from the coasts that show an increasing interest in the north of Montenegro.
Text by Svetlana Mandic, on August 1st 2018, read more at Vijesti
