01 June 2019 - Starting this summer, Montenegrin beaches will receive a guide in the form of an offline android application. The Enjoy Montenegro Coast: Offline Guide is intended primarily for tourists and visitors of the Montenegrin coast, to make it easier to choose the desired beach, but also to locals who want to get to know the Montenegrin coast as reported by the Public Enterprise for the Coastal Zone of Montenegro.

"The application contains a user-friendly offline map with information about the selected beach, marina or protected area on the coast," said representatives of the Public Enterprise for Coastal Zone of Montenegro

When choosing a beach, the application will calculate precise mileage from the current location of the user, and then draw the shortest route to the destination.

In the drop-down menu, the user can single out the beaches or marinas with prestigious ecological recognition of the Blue Flag, and there are 30 of those in Montenegro. At all times, the user can check the quality of seawater at around 100 different bathing places along the Montenegrin Coast.

The application was created by the Public Enterprise for Coastal Zone of Montenegro, which manages Montenegrin beaches and coastal infrastructure (marinas, ports, pier, berths).

Enjoy Montenegro Coast: Offline Guide android application can be downloaded for free on Google Play Store. Once downloaded, the application functions in the offline mode, that is, no internet connection is required for its use, as explained by the Public Enterprise for Coastal Zone of Montenegro.

June 1, 2019 - Within the first quarter of the year, the hotel Regent Porto Montenegro realized 10% growth, indicating a positive upward trend already for 2019. Within the core tourist season, the number of the reservations is still on the same level as last year, said Regent’s Sales and Marketing Manager, Ivan Rudolf Gajić.

The leisure segment has been a significant focus for the hotel’s Sales and Marketing team, with the aim to support the 2019 Spring and Summer seasons. Regent’s representatives held over 300 meetings with sales calls hosted in Europe, Middle East, Russia, and the UK.

Regent Porto Montenegro’s presence in the European luxury travel market has been highlighted further with the attendance at ITB Berlin, IHG Expo in London and Traveller Made - Essence of Luxury Travel in Marbella. The sales team initiated and completed sales calls internationally to Istanbul, GCC road show with Claviger agency as well as in Dubai, Moscow, St Petersburg in Russia and London and Chester in the UK.

“Amour Europe Vienna and Annual DWP Congress Dubai were both attended with the aim to promote Regent and Montenegro as the ideal wedding destination. With 64 meetings completed in total, the outcomes of these two visits have already seen a larger volume of interest and a higher number of confirmed weddings in 2020,” said Ivan Rudolf Gajić, hosting yesterday the meeting with local journalists of Tivat.

“Throughout all these fairs it is fantastic to hear that Montenegro is already well known and respected as a destination delivering quality to visitors,” Gajic was happy to emphasize. 

The most important markets for Regent Porto Montenegro, according to the number of arrivals, remain Great Britain, USA, and Russia.

“Within the core tourist season, the number of reservations is on the same level as last year. Given that the weather forecast has not been as favorable so far this year; guests from our traditional markets have been enquiring but hesitating to make reservations, rather waiting to confirm concrete plans. This conveys the changing dynamic of holiday-makers in general, who now choose to delay their plans and make last minute reservations,” marks Ivan Rudolf Gajić, adding: “The last year was a record one and it is always a challenge to continue the growth in that manner however we plan to complete the business goals fully. Until the end of the year, we expect to achieve a rise of 10 % and conclude the business year."

Regent Porto Montenegro Management is also very satisfied with MICE segment growth, as well as incentive travel bookings, contributing the extraordinary results in the first and second quarter of the year.

In October this year, the hotel and the Porto Montenegro marina will host a Private Luxury Forum which gathers the most eminent agencies that are in charge of sales and promotion of the luxury travels. Porto Montenegro will welcome the top influencers, innovators, and visionaries of the luxury industry.

“We will host 85 agents who will list Montenegro, a hugely positive sales promotion for Montenegro as a destination. Additionally, around 100 representatives of the luxury brands will attend the Forum. Attendees will enjoy a tailored program of activities to show off the destination, which will include sailing through the Boka Bay with Jadran school ship, visit of the national parks and other activities that encompass outdoors and active tourism. We believe that this is a great opportunity and a worthwhile investment in the process of the positioning of Montenegro as the luxury tourism destination with the ultimate aim of achieving the desired positive business results in the years to come,” Ivan Rudolf Gajić explained.

Regent Porto Montenegro continues investing in emerging markets of GCC countries and Israel in order to position Montenegro as an attractive choice as a leisure destination, with a particular focus on Saudi Arabia and UAE.

“We have a specific representative who actively contributes toward the promotion of Montenegro and Regent Hotel. During our participation at the ATM in Dubai in April this year as part of the IHG stand, we learnt that the main challenge is the lack of direct flights. Thankfully, the cities of the neighboring countries such as Sarajevo, do have direct flights to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, making travel at least possible for this market. Saudi Arabia is our best market within GCC and we hope that the future negotiations of the government and airports of Montenegro will be successful so that will be directly linked with this market in the near future,” says Gajić.

Israel is also an important market for Regent. “Given the direct flights from Tel Aviv to Tivat, we believe this market will see good growth and that there is strong potential for the positioning of Montenegro as a key luxury destination for tourists from the region, whilst the offer of hotel Regent can be extremely attractive to the HNW guests specifically,” concluded Gajić.

31 May 2019 - “We invite all citizens and tourists to honour us with their presence at the city port Škver, so that we can jointly salute the participants of the first Herceg Novi regatta – Herceg Novi Sailing Tour with a feast full of delicious fish and wine!“, says the official invitation of Tourist Organization of Herceg Novi for the regatta which starts on June 1.

As TMN previously reported, the first Herceg Novi regatta named Herceg Novi Sailing Tour is being organized by the Tourist Organization of Herceg Novi in ​​cooperation with the Sailing Club Jugola Grakalić, the Municipality of Herceg Novi and the Hotel Lazure.

The event, which will take place on June 1, includes an umpires and skippers boat race. The regatta will be held in the waters of the Bay of Kotor within the territory that belongs to the Herceg Novi Municipality.

The sailing tour, which will mark the official beginning of the 2019 summer sailing season, starts in front of Marina Lazure in Meljine and runs around the island of Mamula. Then the ships sail towards their goal - the city port of Herceg Novi.

Fifteen teams are expected to compete, and the Montenegrin sailor that competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Men's Laser class, Milivoj Dukić will also take part in the sailing tour. The list of the participants in the regatta will include musician and sailor from Herceg Novi, Rambo Amadeus.

The sailors will meet for the race on June 1 at 9:30 am, and the official start of the regatta will be at 11 am. The finishing point of the sailing tour is the city port Škver, and sailing enthusiasts can await the boats at this point at 1 pm.

The Tourist Organization of Herceg Novi and the Sailing Club Jugola Grakalić have prepared a traditional fish and wine celebration accompanied by local entertainment and music from 1 pm to 5 pm. The award ceremony will be held also on June 1, at 9 pm.

The representatives of the Tourist Organization of Herceg Novi are inviting all sailing enthusiasts to experience the unique regatta moment when the first boat within the regatta officially starts the race for the first time on June 1. All visitors will be able to enjoy an exciting and competitive racing and the onshore camaraderie!

26 May 2019 - The European Union Delegation and the European Union Info Center are organizing the Europe Day in Kotor on Friday, May 31, as part of the Month of Europea Celebration.

On the Square of the Museum starting at 6 PM an info desk will be opened, where citizens can learn more about the process of European Union integrations, look at the exhibition of European Union's projects in Montenegro and participate in the prize quiz on the European Union.

At the same place, a party of Europe starts from 8 PM, with DJ set Aleksandra Duende accompanied by local support provided by DJ Mr Goju.

"We are pleased to invite citizens of Kotor to join us at the concert of Aleksandra Duende and Mr Goju who bring a modern, European sound to the Square of the Museum. We donate the concert to the citizens of Kotor, in the wish to celebrate European values ​​together," the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro announced.

Aleksandra Duende is one of the most successful Balkan DJs. The music is recognized by sets that abound with the sounds of the orient and include various electronic genres, such as tech house, deep house, indie house, deep disco, soulful house and others.

Mr Goju's local support for decades has spawned a specific prism and gave a completely authentic view of contemporary styles of broken beats, house, funk, soul, swing, jazz. Mr Goju regularly performs throughout Europe (Belgium, Spain, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia ...).

The European Union Delegation to Montenegro and the EU Info Center this year celebrate Europe Day celebrations throughout May, in order to bring citizens closer to the European Union and openly discuss the common European values, the benefits of membership, and the challenges brought by the European integration process.

Source: Skala Radio

25 May 2019 - An increasingly popular local event P(i)jat od žućenice (English: Dandelion Dish), which is the most popular program organized within Žućenica Fest (English: The Dandelion Fest) will be held on June 1, 2019, at the Pine Promenade in Tivat. The number of exhibitors who participate in the event is increasing each year, so there are usually over 250 dandelion dishes presented during this traditional manifestation!

The head organizer of the Žućenica fest is the Women's Organization of Tivat while the technical and financial support is provided by the Tourist Organization of Tivat, Radio Tivat and the Municipality of Tivat, which is the sponsor of the Festival.

City orchestra of Tivat will open this year’s festival with a mini-concert that will start at 7 pm, and the musical segment of the program will continue with the performance of the regional star Ana Kokić, who will step on stage at 8:30 pm.

This year’s P(i)jat od žućenice will gather 19 cooking teams with more than 150 chefs ready to showcase their cooking skills and to prepare various types of dishes with the common garden plants dandelions. The dishes will include pies, rolls, salads, various types of meat and vegetables prepared with dandelions and greens.

With colorful and delicious dishes made from dandelion, this festival easily grabs the attention of locals and tourists, and the mastery is probably best described by the fact that all of the specialties get eaten very soon after they’re exhibited.

The list of the Festival’s exhibitors will include NGO Kolo srpskih sestara from Tivat, Women's Organization of Risan, NGO Harlekin from Donja Lastva, Women's Organization of Budva, Secondary and High Trading School Sergije Stanić from Podgorica, NGO Fešta from Baošići, NGO Ruke from Herceg Novi, NGO Bokobran, Women's Democratic Party Forum from Tivat, Kavačka alla maka, Bokeški Forum, Secondary School Mladost Tivat, Elementary School Drago Milović from Tivat, Vodena kočija, Association of Tivat Caterers, Bokeški izrazi Kotor and Gourmet Shop Batričević Njeguši. In addition to local exhibitors, the Festival will also host a team of chefs from the Polish town of Skočová, led by the famous chef Wiecho Wroblewski.

The Tourist Organization of Tivat has posted an official invitation to all interested parties to come and enjoy the outstanding traditional delicacies and musical part of the program.

24 May 2019 - The Tourist Organization of Cetinje, in cooperation with the NGO "Montenegro Old Timer", is organizing a show (exhibition) named "Old Timer Vehicles" on Tuesday, 28 May, starting at 10 am on the Dvorski Square.

Namely, on Tuesday, 28th of May, in the period from 10 am to 12 pm, Old Royal Capital of Montenegro will host 40 "Fića" cars, that is, their owners, whose caravan will pass through Montenegro as a part of the tour “Fićom po Balkanu” (English: "By Fića through the Balkans").  

The participants of the Caravan are the owners of the once-popular Fiat 600 and Zastava 750/850, known on the Balkans as Fića. The caravan, which started on 18 May from Munich (Germany), passes through Austria, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, ends on 31 May in Ljubljana (Slovenia).

During the journey through the countries of the Balkans, the participants will travel about 5000 kilometres and the arrival in Ljubljana will mark the end of their journey. Visitors of the Caravan in Montenegro will be able to see 40 Fića cars, and in the continuation of the journey, this number will increase significantly. The owners of Fića cars who will arrive in Montenegro come from all over Europe, most of them from the region, and one of the oldest model among them is the one from 1961.

The Zastava 750 (Застава 750) was a supermini made by the Serbian car maker Zavod Crvena Zastava in Kragujevac. It was a version of the Fiat 600 made under licence from 1962 and was longer in length than the Fiat version. Zastava 850 is nearly identical to the Zastava 750 but the engine has a larger capacity. The Zastava 850 is harder to find then the 750 model but both are still widely available in former Yugoslavia.

Zastava 750 is widely known by its nickname "Fića" (Фићa) or "Fićo" (Фићo) in Serbo-Croatian, by "Fičo" or "Fičko" in Slovene and by "Fikjo" (Фиќо) in Macedonian. The nickname "Fića" comes from the main character of a comic published by the newspaper Borba during the first years of the car's production.

Owners of cars participating in the caravan have invested enormous amounts of money in their vehicles so that, after 64 years from the start of the production, these cars are still able to cross the 5000 km route smoothly.

23 May 2019 - The Agency for Development and Protection of Orjen will present a new tourist offer in Herceg Novi on Friday, May 24th, the historic Time Machine of Herceg Novi tour.

The promotional tour will be organized for media representatives, Tourist Organization of Herceg Novi, tourist agencies and hotel guests from the area.

The start of the tour is at 8 AM from the square of Nikola Đutković, at the Clock Tower, the symbol of Herceg Novi.

"We are producing dominant fortifications over the city, Kanli tower and Španjol, a reminder of both the long-standing Turkish and the short-lived Spanish authorities. Walking through history, we follow the route of the main hiking route that connected Herceg Novi with mountain for centuries and in that role it existed until the last quarter of the 20th century, until the villagers of the surrounding villages were able to go down to the market with a stock of livestock, full products" as explained from the Agency .

Along the path today, there were numerous catering facilities, such as Avramović's cormorant, which was even visited by Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević during his walks in the hinterland of Herceg Novi.

"Crossing the Matkovo Bridge (a coherent stone building) we enter deeper into the hinterland, into the Kotobilj battlefield, a crucial event for the liberation of the Herceg Novi region from the Turkish authorities. Today it is a place in the pleasant environment of dense forests of coastal pine and cypress, with more organized rest areas for walkers," said representatives of the Agency for Development and Protection of Orjen.

The walking tour is adapted to the average visitor and requires a minimum physical fitness (since about 350 meters of climbing altitude difference must be mastered). It is necessary to announce a minimum of 48h earlier. With sightseeing and resting, the tour lasts for 4 to 5 hours, of which about 3 hours of the trip is being walked.

Suitable shoes (not sandals and flip-flops), small backpack with water and food, spare clothes, protective creams (sun and mosquitoes), rain protection, mobile phone and, possibly, personal accessories for first aid are also required on this tour. The organizer is obliged to take all measures for the safe implementation of the programme, however, participation in the Time Machine tour is at your own risk.

Source: Radio Jadran News