Currently, on the territory of the Municipality of Tivat, there are ongoing works on infrastructure and public buildings with a total value of 4.37 million euros.

There is an ongoing adaptation of the building Buca-Lukovic, which is used by the PU Museum and Gallery Tivat worth 176,000 euros. A reconstruction of the Cultural Center facility is being carried out, for which EUR 365,000 was allocated. The construction of the second phase of the MR1 road, which is an investment of 2.98 million, as well as the first phase of the seafront promenade Lungo mare Krasici, worth 747.000 euros, continued on Luštica peninsula. The completion of the first phase of the renovation of the Arsenal auxiliary sports field is ongoing, for which 54,000 euro is committed, which is as much as for the continuation of works on the sewerage in Donja Lastva.

“The municipality has announced a tender worth 665,000 euros, out of which 390,000 is set for the first phase of construction of a facility for children with disabilities in Seljanovo, and 200,000 for the cleaning of the submarine area in the port Kalimanj. The expansion of public lighting in the municipality will cost 40,000, and the purchase of the conference system for the local parliament 35,000 euros," the municipality said.

Tenders worth 2.3 million euros are being prepared, including 700,000 for local road asphalting and 500,000 for the second phase of Belani promenade, i.e. 550,000 euros for the second phase of the facility for children with disabilities. 120.000 euros are for the repair of sidewalks and walkways, and the construction of supporting walls in Gornja Lastva.

Text by Sinisa Lukovic, on February 7th 2019, read more at Vijesti

The merriest Feast in Crmnica and Bar - The Festival of Wine and Ukljeva fish, after several delays, will probably be held the third weekend in February, said the director of Tourist organization of Bar Emil Kukalj.

He told “Vijesti” that this was just one of the activities of TOB this spring, and that they will bring some of the old well-known manifestations back to Bar.

"A rich cultural and entertainment program has been prepared for the Festival of Wine and Ukljeva. Also, TO Bar organizes a concert for Valentine’s Day on February 14^th at the Square Vladimir and Kosara. In February, we will present the tourist offer from Bar on the tourism fairs in Munich and Prague and the most important IFT tourism fair in Belgrade," Kukalj said.

In the future activities, TO also included the development of the Tourism Development Strategy of Bar until 2025, which will provide guidelines for further development of tourist offer and promotion and destination’s marketing. Kukalj notes that they have planned to carry out the events "Games Without Boundaries", "Visit the Mountains" and "Days of Grapes".

As he added, a series of well-received and highly-ranked programs continued since the beginning of this year.

This is primarily the three-day New Year's Eve in cooperation with the Municipality of Bar with a variety of entertainment programs and booths with local specialties, and the premiere free of charge ice rink at the square that attracted guests to Bar from all over Montenegro during that month. The TO estimates that there were over 10,000 skaters at the skating rink, and there were about 15,000 visitors at the Square of Vladimir and Kosara during the New Year's concerts.

Text by Radomir Petric, on February 7th 2019, read more at Vijesti

In hotels, tourist resorts and houses throughout Montenegro last year, there were 1,076,848 tourists, out of which 959,121 were foreigners, as shown by the preliminary data from the Monstat Directorate of Statistics, published in “Dnevne novine”.

This is 12.7 percent more than in 2017, while the number of overnight stays is 8.2 percent higher. Namely, there were a total of 4.208.955 overnights and 3.763.857 only by foreign guests.

So, according to the data so far, tourists in Montenegro had an average of 3.91 overnights, which is the closest to a five-day stay, while in July during the peak season they mostly chose a six-day visit with five overnight stays in hotel accommodations. Also, foreigners had an average of 3.92 overnight stays per year and spent the longest 4.98 nights during July.

Unlike them, domestic tourists had an average of 3.78 overnight stays throughout the year, but in August, a favorite month for a collective holiday, they continued to spend an average of 5.24 nights in shared accommodations.

Compared to 2017, the average number of overnight stays dropped for 0.16 from the previous 4.07, and the number of foreign guests by 0.18 from the last year's 4.1, while the Montenegrins spent more nights at hotels, so with 3.86, this number increased by 0.12.

The preliminary data from Monstat show that 809,575, i.e., 84.41 percent of foreign guests arrive from European countries, while from other continents it is 149,546. Of the total number, the highest number of those with a Serbian passport is 120,060 guests or 12.52 percent.

By the number of tourists arriving in Montenegro, Russia is ranked second with 79.153, France with 61.212, and Germany with 57.723 guests. From the United Kingdom, 45,786 guests arrived last year, and other key countries from which there is a significant number of tourists are Poland with 38,419, Italy with 24,833, and Sweden with 20,465 guests who visited the country.

Out of the countries from the region, after Serbia, most of the guests came from Albania 38,281, then Bosnia and Herzegovina 35,101, Croatia 24,816, Kosovo 21,311, Slovenia 15,887, and Macedonia only 10,345. In 2018, there were 22,843 tourists from the USA in Montenegro, from Israel 31,958 and 34,183 from Turkey. Still, this is significantly less than the number of Chinese who have decided to visit Montenegro, i.e. 41,338. Out of 3,763,857 overnights, Europeans achieved 3,447,168 or even 91.59 percent, and spent 4.26 days on average in hotels, resorts, boarding houses, motels, tourist resorts, hostels and other similar accommodation facilities throughout Montenegro.

The two countries whose citizens achieved most of the overnight stays are Serbia with 546,012 or 14.51 percent of the total, then Russia with 514.151 or 13.66 percent of all overnight stays. France is in third place with 313,838 overnight stays, followed by Germany with 240,913 and the United Kingdom with 228,097 overnight stays.

Significant results in hotels are also thanks to guests from Poland who made up 161,632 overnights, Bosnia and Herzegovina with 149,268 and Sweden with 112,497 overnight stays. When it comes to the length of stay, the Serbs stayed an average of 4.55 nights, Russians 6.5, French 5.13, Germans 4.17, and British 4.98 nights. Guests from Poland have an average of 4.21 nights, Bosnia and Herzegovina 4.25, and Sweden 5.5 nights.

Out of the countries in the region, citizens from Albania realized 73,804 nights, Kosovo 62,318, Croatia 56,990, and Slovenia 48,289 nights. This means that the neighbors from Slovenia spend on average 3.04 nights, Kosovo 2.92, Croatia 2.3, and Albania only 1.93 nights. When it comes to other European countries with a significant number of arrivals, Italians have only 65,419 overnight stays, as they spend an average of 2.63 nights on average.

Text by Dnevne novine, on February 7th 2019, read more at CdM

The Ministry of Defense is going to renew the Army of Montenegro's (VCG) stock of motor vehicles, as concluded from the Public Procurement Plan worth slightly over EUR 14 million. For the purchase of goods, it is planned to allocate 9.4 million euros, while works on military facilities in Bar, Niksic, Danilovgrad, Pljevlja, Lepetani and Brezovik will cost 1.74 million, while for payment of various services about three million euros will be spent.

The plan does not foresee the purchase of any significant new weapon or combat system for VCG units but is the money to start the long-announced gradual restoration of obsolete fleet of non-war military vehicles, most of which date back from SFR Yugoslavia.

Thus, for the purchase of new military field trucks of up to five tons, the planned amount of one million euros and another 1.23 million for new lightweight terrain vehicles for the transport of personnel and equipment, sanitary vehicles and water and fuel tanks.

Predrag Bošković's department earlier announced that the key project which they are planning to realize this year, is the purchase of a total of 67 light armored vehicles for the purposes of the Land Forces, for which they intend to take a credit arrangement directly from the manufacturer who will give them the most favorable offer in the total amount of up to 30 million euros.

These items are not included in the public procurement plan of MO for 2019, as it was not the case last year with the purchase of three new multi-purpose helicopters, which were also bought for a 30m-euro loan and repaid by the Ministry of Finance directly.

However, in the area of public procurement, the item for the "purchase of armored vehicles" is stated, but the amount of 600,000 euros that is envisaged for it is sufficient only for the possible purchase of a new "Otocar Cobra" type vehicle that was already bought two years ago with the exclusive purpose of radiological-chemical-biological scanning.

For the purchase of ammunition of various calibers for exercise and maneuvering, MO will spend 550,000 euros, while for the purchase of new personal optoelectronic equipment for members of the declared forces for inter-operative processing will be allocated 980,000 euros. For special equipment for the VCG mountain units the MO will allocate 400,000, for the campfire equipment 50,000, for underwater gear crew members of the Navy VCG 280,000, while the new ABHO protective gear will cost 100,000 euros.

All military and civilian vehicles in VCG and MO, Helicopters and Navy ships will have a total of 445,000 euros available for the fuel expenses.

Text by Sinisa Lukovic, on February 6th 2019, read more at Vijesti

February 7, 2019 - According to the architect Dr Boris Ilijanic, Arza fortress is a protected cultural monument, and no one is allowed to do any intervention on the object without the consent of the Management Board for the Protection of Cultural Monuments.

Luxury project of Arza Cape Resort, animation

 

Designed by Mamula, but with many more elements, Arza Cape Resort includes the construction of a hotel with a capacity of 275 rooms, villas, restaurants, swimming pools, marina, spa centers. The project was signed by SB Architects and King Frank in 2009. However, King Frank no longer exists, and on SB Architects’ website, there is no information on this project.

The Fund for the Reform of the Defense System of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro sold the fort of Arza

Arza Fortress on the Cape of Miriste, photo by Antonela Stjepcevic

 

As was said to Radio Jadran by the Real Estate Management Unit of Herceg Novi, the IV Municipal Court certified the purchase contract in Belgrade on 19 September 2005, and on the seller's side was concluded by the Ministry of Defense of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, the Fund to reform the defense system.

By the Constitution, all fortresses, including Arza, are protected cultural monuments

Fortresses Ostro, Mamula and Arza are marking the entrance to Boka Bay, photo by Antonela Stjepcevic

 

"Arza was not listed in the Registry, as did other objects of military fortifications used by the military. The census of 2013, when valorization and revaluation of cultural goods in the territory of Montenegro were carried out, the records are complete, with Arza listed here - he explains.

February 6, 2019 - NGO Expeditio - Center for Sustainable Spatial Development within the project "Activating the Potential of Open Public Space for Improving the Quality of Life in Kotor" is implementing an informative and educational campaign on social networks aiming to raise the awareness of citizens and institutions about the values and potentials of public spaces in Kotor.

February 6, 2019 - Maskare costume balls and carnivals have been an integral part of the Mimosa Festival since the first edition of this manifestation held in Herceg Novi fifty years ago. For this segment of the program, NGO Maskare, an organization that Herceg Novi owes to listing this city on the map of European carnival cities, is traditionally in charge of this segment of the program. It is a map to which this city, as well as many other Mediterranean traditions, certainly belongs.  

Ivan Peulic and his father, NGO Maskare Herceg Novi, Copyright: radio herceg Novi

 

"We became an integral part of the organization of costume balls and carnivals in Herceg Novi. We are sorry there are no more carnival groups. Certainly, people slowly recognize energy, this year we have welcomed dozens of new members," says Ivan Peulic, president of NGOs Maskare Herceg Novi. 

Federation of European Carnival Cities, Sabac, Serbia, private collection of NGO Maskare

 

The NGO Maskare itself became part of the European carnival family in the category of organizations. Last year in Šabac, at the Convention of the Federation of European Carnival Towns, Herceg Novi as a city had full rights of participation and the right to vote in the election of a new board of directors of this organization. "It is up to us to work for the Federation, to work for the city, to work for the country. Wherever we go, we are ambassadors of our city and our country and strive to show ourselves in the best light," said Peulic, one of those dedicated who succeeded in preserving the tradition of masquerades and carnivals, which in the 1990s, due to war events in the region, was almost dim.

The winning mask of the costume ball in Igalo: Vucic and Putin, Copyright: Radio Jadran

 

"We always make sure that our mask is about a current issue. We try to make a boom with the mask we are preparing to recognize what we wanted to say with our mask immediately," says the president of NGOs Maskare. "People love and reward us because we want to highlight the phenomena in our society. There were politicians and controversial businessmen, but we never offended anyone. A prize is not always essential," says Ivan, but the image of someone who is better or the best in what he does is important. 

International Carnival in Herceg Novi 2018, Copyright: Herceg Fest

 

As the most exciting part of this segment of the Mimosa Festival, citizens of Herceg Novi and their guests, for the finals of the festival, are expecting a great International Carnival. "By joining the Federation of European Carnival Cities, Herceg Novi received support and wind in its back from the board of the organization, and for the fourth year in a row, we organize an international show. We expect, given the great jubilee, that this will be one of the most significant events for the triumph of the Mimosa Festival," announced Peulic.