19 January 2019 - The new entertainment winter Top programme by the Television of Montenegro, which will be launched on January 20, represents a conceptual and technological innovation by the national broadcaster. Through the following four weekends, TVCG teams will broadcast the winter atmosphere using new equipment. The recent acquisition is a step further in the process of digitizing TVCG.

After several successful projects during the autumn, the TVCG 2 is implementing a new entertainment winter programme. Over the next four weekends, the spectators will be able to witness the atmosphere at four Montenegrin ski centres, whose promotion starts with Kolašin within the “Top programme” (Montenegrin: Vrh program).

Six ski resorts are operational this winter in Montenegro - Savin Kuk and Javorovača at Durmitor, Kolašin 1450 and Kolašin 1600 in Kolašin, Vučje in Nikšić and Hajla in Rožaje. The resorts welcomed numerous guests from other cities of Montenegro, as well as from Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, as well as guests from Western and Eastern Europe.

"After Kolašin, we will move to Vučje, then to Savin kuk at Žabljak, and then we will end the coverage at Hajla in Rožaje. We will broadcast live with a unique entertaining format.  The coverage will include interviews with the representatives of local governments, but also with the guests of the ski centres. We have also prepared some competitive games and prizes for the winners," said the editor of the entertainment commercial programme Top programme, Branimir Žugić.

The editor of the TVCG 2, Sabrija Vulić, pointed out that the national broadcaster will focus on the “winter story” because the World Skiing Championship will follow right after. "TVCG spectators will have the opportunity to enjoy winter charms in Montenegro, even from their warm rooms, for the next twenty days," the editor stressed.

TMN already reported on the offer of Montenegrin ski resorts for the winter 2018/2019.

Source: TVCG

18 January 2019 - The Public Enterprise for Coastal Zone Management of Montenegro has completed the official Atlas of Montenegrin Beaches – a cadastre of beaches and swimming areas from 2019 to 2023, which determines the standardisation of the beaches, i.e. 12 "types" of beaches that exist on the Montenegrin coast. The beach and swimming area types were already determined within the Program for the Improvement of the Coastal Zone of Montenegro, which was adopted in 2018 by the Steering Committee of the Public Enterprise.

The Atlas defines: hotel swimming areas, family swimming areas, active rest swimming areas, party swimming areas, romantic swimming areas, city swimming areas without beach equipment, swimming areas for people with dogs, swimming areas with natural healing factors and wellness facilities, excursion swimming areas, nudist swimming areas and swimming areas intended for children's resort.

With the categorisation of beach types, the beach offer is harmonised with the demand of the markets that require the segmentation of the swimming areas, explained the director of the Public Enterprise for Coastal Zone Management of Montenegro, Predrag Jelušić.

“When we declared a certain segment of the Great Beach as sporting and recreational, for guests who want a more attractive and active vacation, we noted that the outcome was favourable. The guests who like to spend their vacation on beaches with a full-day, active content were overjoyed with the innovation in our offer. Thus, this year we have also made progress through the development of the Strategy of Montenegrin Beaches, and we believe that both tourists and the local population will appreciate the change," Jelušić said.

In Herceg Novi, including Njivice, Žanjic, Rose, Dobreč, Mirišta i Arza, 131 bathing places are categorized, of which most are family swimming areas.

“We also want to take on the role of spatial planning for the permanent integral land management in other municipalities, raising the level of quality of service and content which are appropriate for the coastal zone,” Jelušić said. “When we complete the documentation and determine which objects can permanently improve the quality of tourist offer in all municipalities, we will also be able to designate the number of necessary catering facilities. We will insist that these be catering facilities of high content, a minimum category of 4 stars,” explain the representatives of Coastal Zone Management Enterprise.

Source: Radio Jadran

18 January 2019 -  From May 22 to December 1, 2018, the ferry “Dubrovnik” on its route Bar-Bari-Bar (Montenegro-Italy-Montenegro) transported 21.887 passengers, 3.955 cars, 206 camper buses, 44 buses, 888 trucks, 36 trailers and 460 motorcycles. During this period, the ferry departed for Italy 37 times.

The company Barska plovidba AD has been in charge for the route between Bar and Bari for the last two years in cooperation with its Croatian partner Jadrolinija from Rijeka, whose ship "Dubrovnik", for the second year in a row, connects the coasts of Montenegro and Italy, a line that exists over half a century.

The ferry "Dubrovnik" has connected Italian and Montenegrin coasts on the Bar-Bari-Bar route from May 22, 2018, according to Barska plovidba. The leaders of AD Barska plovidba and Jadrolinija from Rijeka signed an agreement on cooperation in 2018, which stipulated that during 2018 the ship "Dubrovnik" will cover the route between Montenegro and Italy.

The ferry Dubrovnik has the length of 122,06 metres, a width of 18,82 metres and height of 12,55 metres with a gauge of 4,83 metres.

The ferry’s structure includes a restaurant with 135 seats, a self-service restaurant with 224 seats, a cake shop, a bar with 274 seats, a video hall, a chapel and a playroom for children.

In 2017, the ferry "Dubrovnik" departed for Italy on 44 occasions and transported about 23.500 passengers and about 4,000 vehicles.

"This line was established in 1965, and so far it has transported two million passengers, 240.000 cars and about 100.000 trucks and trailers. For half a century, the number of passengers who have travelled on this route is four times bigger than the total number of people living in Montenegro, and our most successful business years were 1995, 1996, 2006, 2007 and 2008, "said Tihomir Mirković, Acting Director of Barska plovidba.

17 January 2019 - During the fifth session of the Bijelo Polje Municipal Assembly, the President of the Bijelo Polje Municipality, Petar Smolović, stated that the construction of the Ski Centre “ Cmiljača ”, worth 23 million EUR, should be completed by 2022.

This implementation of the “Cmiljača“ Project consists of two phases. The first phase includes works on the construction of road infrastructure, construction of base station with accompanying facilities, parking space, construction of electric power network, ski lifts, hydrotechnical and telecommunication infrastructure, about 3 kilometres of ski tracks and the purchase of necessary machinery and equipment. The planned deadline for the completion of the first phase is 2020.

The second phase includes work on getting enough snow on the skiing track. The planned deadline for the completion of phase two is 2022.

The President explained that the roadway connecting the Ski Center "Cmiljača" on Bjelasica with the main road M21 is the route Ravna Rijeka –Latinska kosa - Jasikovac –Cmiljača, which has the length of 15.5 kilometres.

Aside from the construction of the ski lift, the Ski Centre "Cmiljača" Project includes construction of the base station, according to the “project-build” system, with 1200 square metres. The base station will have 300 parking spaces, and the investment value of this segment of the project is 1.1 million EUR.

The value of the contract for the construction of the cableway is 7,988,000 EUR.

The ski lift will be 1140 metres long, with seven seats and a capacity of 2600 skiers per hour and 3 kilometres of ski slopes, with an average width of 40 metres. The deadline for the construction of the cableway is 18 months from the date of obtainment of the building permit. “We have yet to get the technical documentation for the artificial snowmaking system which will create 30 centimetres of snow during 60 hours with a humid temperature (-5 C °),” said the President during the Assembly.

Montenegro has launched the Project "Cmiljača" with the aim of creating the necessary conditions for attracting investors who will build the accommodation facilities and further develop the ski centre. The completion of the project will positively influence not only the growth of winter tourism within the country, but also the development of the whole northern region of Montenegro.

16 January 2019 - The culture, aesthetics, and traditions of China, one of the oldest civilizations in the world, will be presented to the Montenegrin audience through the Week of Chinese Culture. The program will be organised in Podgorica, from January 16 to 23, in the organization of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China.

The cultural wealth of China will be presented through three thematic units - Chinese Movie Week, National Symphony Concert and two-day Introduction to Chinese intangible heritage.

From January 16 to 22, the Cineplexx Cinema at the Delta City Mall will screen one of the best Chinese films every day at 6 pm.

The first film which was screened is the rewarded drama "Aftershock," which the audience has had the chance to watch on Wednesday. On Thursday, the visitors were able to see the film "Internal Affairs." “Youth” will be screened on Friday, while on Saturday the audience will be able to enjoy the cult film from 1993, "Farewell My Concubine." The Sunday projection is reserved for the romantic comedy "Love is not blind."

On Monday, January 21, a film that won four Oscars, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," will be screened at the Cineplex Cinema. The Chinese movie week will end after the screening of the film which was partly shot in Montenegro, "The Golden Job," which is on the repertoire on January 22.

The Chinese National Symphony Concert will be held at the Montenegrin National Theatre on Thursday, January 17. On this occasion, Chinese artists gathered in the Gansu dance troupe will enrich the program with music and dance performance, introducing the audience with the culture from different parts of China. This troupe is the creator of the masterpiece of the Chinese dance theatre called “Silk Road”, which will be performed for the Montenegrin audience.

The Chinese Culture Week will end with the closing of the two-day manifestation - Introduction to Chinese Intangible Heritage. In the central atrium of Delta City Mall, during January 22 and 23, the customs and heritage of the city of Guangzhou, the cultural centre of Southeast Asia, will be presented.

Visitors will be able to get acquainted with the process of creating many famous Chinese handicrafts, such as colourful figures made of rice, festive lanterns made of paper tape, as well as with ancient painting skills, stone carving, incense burning and tea drinking, which all have an essential place in the culture of China.

The entrance to all events is free, but due to the limited number of seats, it is necessary to reserve tickets for the institutions hosting the events (Cineplexx and the Montenegrin National Theatre).

By marking the Chinese Culture Week, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China strives to contribute to further understanding of the Chinese customs by the people of Montenegro. The Chinese Culture Week is organized as an overture to the Chinese New Year, the most important traditional Chinese holiday, which begins on February 5, 2019.

Source: TVCG

16 January 2019 - The final preparations for the opening of the 52nd Herceg Novi Winter Salon, which is scheduled for January 31 (Thursday) at 7 pm, are underway, all according to the established tradition of opening the Salon every year as an overture to the Mimosa Festival.

The selector of this year's Herceg Novi Winter Salon is Senka Subotić, a sociologist of culture and art from Budva. The Herceg Novi Salon, under the motto "Parallels," is conceived as a synthesis of various artistic expressions of authors who have been creating and working on the territory of the former Yugoslavia in the last few decades. The Winter Salon aims to present the current situation and to set a certain number of parallels between contemporary painting directions of that area. By presenting themselves at the Salon, with two works, artists point to the development of modern trends in the field of art. The influence of their predecessors is also noticeable, and therefore, they also cherish the tradition of the old artists from the area they come from.

The works of twenty artists from various academies from the territory of the former Yugoslavia will be presented at the Salon. Some of these academies are relatively young, and their representatives are hosted by the Herceg Novi Winter Salon for the first time.

The majority of the artists whose works will be exhibited at the Winter Salon come from Montenegro. Miodrag Šćepanović, Peko Nikčević, Zoran Petrušić and Sreten Nikčević have already presented at the Herceg Novi Winter Salon, while Elvir Lero Adrović, Ivana Babić, Isidora Dautović, Goran Ćetković, Jelena Đurašković, Miodrag Mišo Vemić, and Marija Vemić will present their work to the guests of the Herceg Novi Winter Salon for the first time.

Foreign exhibitors of the Salon include: Silva Radić, Ivan Pavlović and Josip Ivešić (Academy of Fine Arts of the University of Mostar), Milan Krajnović, Renato Rakić and Boris Eremić (Academy of Arts of the University of Banja Luka), Jelena Trajković, Kristina Pirković (Belgrade Academy of Arts) and Milija Belić (President of the board of Salon Realities Nouvelles in Paris).

16 January 2019 - The National Tourism Organization of Montenegro and the European Travel Commission (ETC) have organized a four-day visit of the country for journalists from Brazil.

The arrangement above is the result of a prize competition organized annually by the European Commission for journalists of print media, television, and bloggers. The main award of the competition is a journey for the reporters to get acquainted with a particular destination.

During the first part of their visit to Montenegro, Brazilian journalists stayed in Budva, where, aside from the Old Town, they visited the Archaeological Museum. They were also guests of the local Tourist Organization Budva, which organised a welcoming dinner with folklore performance.

Also, guests from Brazil visited the Old Town and the Old Olive in Bar, one of the family wineries in Virpazar, and then Kotor, Tivat and Herceg Novi in cooperation with the local tourist organisations of these cities.

In the framework of getting acquainted with the offer of the northern region, the journalists stayed at Žabljak where they had the opportunity to enjoy lunch in a restaurant on the Black Lake and taste various drinks from the glasses made of ice. Also, in cooperation with the local tourist organisation, they visited Danilovgrad, the monastery "Ostrog" and the exhibition of the Art Colony of Danilovgrad.

With the inevitable visit to the Đurđevića Tara Bridge, their journey will continue with a visit to Serbia, by the practice of joint promotion of the region.

The representatives of the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro are delighted with this opportunity to introduce Montenegro to foreign journalists. This organisation aims to present the destination to foreign markets, contribute to the strengthening of the image of Montenegro as a tourist destination and better positioning, both in the Brazilian market and in the global travel industry in general.

January 16, 2019 - Cultural tourism and other forms of tourism of particular interest are the first chance for Boka Bay for the development of sustainable tourism, which will not have a seasonal character. "You have to love yourself, your heritage, enjoy what you do, how you live, and share it with tourists," says Dr. Romana Lekic, a doctor of cultural anthropology and a longtime lecturer at the most prestigious communications management and tourism faculties in the region.

photo by Antonela Stjepcevic

 

By a multidisciplinary scientific-paced approach and the "storytelling" method, Professor Lekic, exploring the cross-border region, analyzed in which spheres this area has potential when the development of tourism of particular interest is concerned. Stressing the many natural and cultural components that we should adopt for sustainable tourism development as key to the entire space, she has recognized four spheres in which we can immediately start:

photo by Antonela Stjpcevic

 

To whom is the responsibility to take over first activities? Are receptive tourist agencies, whether they are local governments, tourist organizations? Professor Lekic is categorical:

photo by Antonela Stjepcevic

 

Inventory of the natural and cultural treasures of Boka Bay will be a tremendous job. According to Dr. Lekić, who is familiar to various parts of the world, Boka Bay is the pearl of the pearls. This fact opens the question of responsibility.

15 January 2019 - Relations between Montenegro and Croatia are extremely close and friendly, which is an excellent basis for further deepening of cooperation, especially between local communities, concluded at the meeting held by the Mayor of Podgorica, Ivan Vuković, and Croatian Ambassador Veselko Grubišić.

The Mayor of Podgorica pointed out that Montenegro highly appreciates the fact that Croatia always had strong support on the path of European and Euro-Atlantic integration. Croatia is one of the most important foreign trade partners of Montenegro. "We are pleased that we already have a solid number of Croatian companies here, as well many investments in the field of tourism," Vuković emphasized.

He stressed that Podgorica has experience in cooperation with a number of local communities in Croatia through IPA projects that are thematically diverse - from energy efficiency to wine tourism.

Recalling that the delegation from Zagreb was the first to visit Podgorica after the declaration of Montenegro's independence in 2006, the Mayor announced that the delegation from Podgorica would visit the capital of Croatia in a few weeks. He estimated that Podgorica could make much use of Zagreb's development experience, bearing in mind the enormous transformation that the city has experienced. Ambassador Grubišić agreed with this assessment, stressing that he had already spoken to Zagreb's leading people and that they were ready to share their experiences, especially in the field of tourism.

Mayor Vuković initiated the possibility of re-introducing the direct airline Podgorica-Zagreb, stressing that this would be a significant contribution to the further strengthening of the cooperation between the two countries and the two cities. The Croatian Ambassador said he was keen to discuss the issue with Croatia Airlines, assessing that it would be good to introduce a bound flight with some of the cities in the region like Mostar, Tirana or Skopje.

15 January 2019 - Members of Montenegrin Sports Hiking Club “Falcon” have successfully climbed Mountain Kilimanjaro on January 14, 2019.

On their Official Facebook Page “Planinarski Klub Soko Cetinje”, the representatives of the Hiking Club announced that they have successfully implemented their “Kilimanjaro 2019” expedition, sharing numerous photographs from Africa’s highest point.

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, about 4,900 metres (16,100 ft) from its base, and 5,895 metres (19,341 ft) above sea level. Kilimanjaro is the most popular of the "seven summits" (the highest mountain on each of the continents) primarily because it's the most attainable. About 35,000 people a year attempt to reach the 5,895-metre summit.

The excitement of the Falcons is evident – they accomplished their goal and conquered the iconic mountain. “Africa under the feet of our Falcons!”, the Club representatives wrote and wished the members of the expedition a safe return.

The three-member expedition, Dušan Kaluđerović, Dijana Borozan and Bojan Ćuković, can boast that they have completed the mission. Montenegrin News Agency TVCG interviewed them just before their departure, and even then they couldn’t hide the eagerness to get the adventure started. “A picture of a high mountain covered with snow, under which a vast, green plain spreads, full of life. The fantasy of one day walking down the slopes of this mountain brought me into the world of hiking. It was Kilimanjaro,” explained Dušan Kaluđerović.

Falcon’s Intensive communication with operators from Tanzania and demanding psychophysical preparations needed to reach the top of Africa lasted for months. Thanks to that, their first expedition outside the European continent will last 16 days in total, of which seven days will be reserved for ascent and descent from the mountain, while the rest of the time will be used to visit Tanzania.

“Kilimanjaro is definitely that one mountain that has always been on our list of peaks we want to conquer," Kaluđerović added just before their departure.

Some figures suggest that only 45 per cent of people who set out for the summit actually make it, which is why the team members are overjoyed that they managed to rise to the challenge on their first attempt.