The municipality of Budva, in cooperation with the Tourist Organization Budva, started works on constructing three more open training facilities.

The new training facilities will be located at three locations: near the Red building, in settlement of Bijeli Do, and on the central part of Becici beach.

With previously performed works at the pool, the value of the works is 40,000 euros.

Assistant Secretary from the Secretariat for Municipal Housing Affairs, Aleksandar Popovic, said that they are paying attention that the devices they installed for the outdoor gyms are of the highest possible quality.

Citizens of Budva actively use the first outdoor gyms, located in the nearby city’s swimming pool in the hotel resort Slovenska beach.

"The gym is used every day, especially when there are favorable weather conditions. There are many devices, they can be used for a variety of exercises and are excellent for maintaining fitness and good health. They are made in America and Denmark, and each part of the device is made of aluminum and special types of inox, which is resistant to seawater and does not require special maintenance. "

Also, a special device for people with disabilities is provided, so that people in wheelchairs can access and perform certain exercises.

With this, the Municipality Budva continued to renovate the city and sports fields, and one of the goals is to include as many fellow citizens as possible in various sports activities, concluded the Assistant Secretary from the Secretariat for Communal Housing Affairs.

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Text by Vuk Lajovic, on March 5th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism Pavle Radulovic is categorical that the six open bars on the Budva promenade this season will be removed, and that the caterers will be offered an alternative location. In the Program of temporary facilities for the zone of the sea property in the area of the municipality of Budva from 2019 to 2023, made by JP Morsko dobro and verified by the line ministry, on the promenade in Budva, towards the sea, many temporary facilities were removed, among which are six popular discotheques, some of which have existed for more than two decades – “Trocadero”, “Paris”, Ambiente, “Rafaelo”, “Maltez”, “Miami”.

Caterers submitted a request to the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism and "Morsko dobro" to grant the discotheques stay until October 2020, when the plan for the design of the promenade will be made.

Such an initiative was supported by “Morsko dobro”, that open-air disco-clubs, as an offer that attracts a large number of tourists, are kept for two more seasons.

"We all together have decided that such kind of entertainment, and this kind of offer, cannot be there. Nobody has anything against that kind of entertainment, because it obviously has its clientele, but not in that place. We have local hotels next to these objects, or five-star hotels being built, and it's extremely frivolous that we have such an offer in front of such facilities. We support this content, but the location, if tenants would be interested, in cooperation with the municipality and the leaseholders still needs to be determined," stressed Radulovic.

As Radulovic explained, instead of the open bars, the green area, i.e., a grass is predicted in this area.

"We have the Lungo mare project for Budva, and we will soon begin designing. I think that Budva deserves a serious promenade - from Zavala to Avala, which should cover a large part of this area. One proper walking zone that would "uncork” huge crowds in the summer," Radulovic said.

The tenants previously told “Vijesti” that they are ready to apply all the necessary standards in their objects during this season, and that by their removal, the state loses at least one million euros in revenue, and nearly 300 people will remain unemployed.

Text by Vuk Lajovic, on February 27th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

February 25, 2019 - The Public Company Sea Property has announced a public call for the lease of 25 public beaches in Jaz, Mogren, Brijeg Od Budve and on the islands of Sveti Nikola. The starting price of the beach, without VAT, ranges from around 1,700 Euros to 27,000 euros.

24 February 2019 - Tour Guide Association of Montenegro visited Nikšić yesterday to officially celebrate the International Day of Tour Guides. 50 of them had the opportunity to acquaint themselves with cultural and historical monuments, the most representative facilities and tourism potential of the town at the foot of Trebjesa.

“We hope that this visit will make a very positive impact on our municipality and that we will enhance tourist visits. We also hope that we will improve the quality of the tourism offer of Nikšić since it is, as many people think, the neglected destination on the tourism map of Montenegro,” said the tour guide and a representative of the Association, Miljan Mijušković.

Deputy president of the Municipality of Nikšić, Sonja Nikčević, pointed out that this city “still has not found the place it deserves on the tourism map of Montenegro”.

“Your arrival will help reinforce the story of Nikšić as being tourism town, with all its attributes that we are going to develop further. I am one of those who think that Montenegro has a unique address in tourism and, in that sense, I believe that Nikšić is one of its pearls, about to find the place it deserves,” said Nikčević.

Today, thanks to the improved transport infrastructure, the importance of the town at the foot of Trebjesa is significantly higher. In addition to that, the hotel industry gives its contribution as well. As far as tourism offer is concerned, this city has a lot of things to be proud of. Beautiful nature and cultural and historical monuments in the first place.

“Let’s just mention Crvena stijena, Roman bridge dating from the 3^rd century, Carev most, (the Emperor’s Bridge), the castle… Everybody is amazed at the nature Nikšić offers,” said Nikčević.

Local administration will keep working hard on improving the tourism offer of this beautiful town and its adequate positioning and categorization.

Experience of the representatives of the Association shows that, so far, Nikšić barely existed in the tourism programs.

“We pass through Nikšić when we go rafting or canyoning. After this visit, the story about Nikšić will definitely become richer,” concluded tour guide from Budva, Darinka Grloman.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro

The Municipality of Budva hosts the second meeting of project partners realized within the project implementation of #DynaMob 2.0 - Dynamic mobility. The project is funded by EU funds through the INTERREG IPA Cross-Border Cooperation Program for Italy, Albania and Montenegro 2014-2020.

The #DynaMob 2.0 project aims to promote and encourage the use of environmentally friendly forms of transport with a focus on car sharing and bike sharing. The Municipality of Budva will, for the first time, through the #DynaMob 2.0 project, provide the opportunity for its citizens and tourists for an alternative, healthier and more economical transportation in the city, through the purchase of electric bikes, the installation of a filling station for eco cars, in combination with the appropriate application.

The meeting was officially opened by Mr. Marko Markovic, vice-president of the Municipality Budva. During the meeting, the partners of the project will discuss the implementation of the project activities so far, will present the latest technologies and results related to the Action Plan for Sustainable Mobility, #Dynamob 2.0 Paths and Investments. The meeting was attended by the representatives of partner institutions: Copertino Municipality (Italy), Ulisse Training Center (Italy), Campobasso (Italy), Tirana Chamber of Commerce, Skrapar Municipality (Albania) and Tirana Municipality (Albania). The Municipality of Budva was represented by the Secretariat for Municipal Utility Affairs and the Office for European Integration and Cooperation. The total budget of the project #DynaMob 2.0 is 839.500 euros, and the implementation of the project will last until April 2020.

Text by Vuk Lajovic, on February 20th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

February 20, 2019 - Continuing our look at the real estate opportunities in Montenegro through the RE/MAX portfolio, a visit to a slice of luxury in Budva.

Montenegro is famous for its spectacular views and wild beauty, and few vistas are more gorgeous than overlooking the old town of Budva and its picturesque bay. 

The Budva real estate scene is busy, and there is a real diversity in terms of quality and location, but the new Como project - a RE/MAX exclusive - is superbly located and offers a real touch of luxury and exclusivity in this hugely popular seaside town.

Como is a new and exclusive development of just 18 high-quality units, all of which are either 3-bedroom apartments or 3-bedroom penthouses with roof terraces. In addition to the top quality design, materials and finish, Como has a 24-hour reception, concierge, security, and both maintenance and rental management. Both garages and outdoor parking spaces are available. The roof terraces include spa and relax decks with jacuzzi, showers and sauna on one side, and an open kitchen on the other. All apartments have the Smart Home system, fully equipped kitchen and bathroom, floor heating and CCTV.

Each of the 18 units is listed separately, and to give you a flavour of what is on offer, here is the official RE/MAX description of this 123m2 apartment: 

Located in the hills above Budva, in a secure gated community this beautiful 3 bedroom apartment enjoying the use of a large communal swimming pool and deck area, offers incredible sea views and an amazing view of the island St. Nicholas. The location, luxury unique design meets the standards of the most demanding clients. 

The development is located on the east side of the settlement therefore one can enjoy the spectacular sunrise. Carefully designed residential units and external landscaping provide to the residents comfort, luxury and peaceful atmosphere. Modern design with a functional layout with an emphasis on the enjoyment of the living room and the terrace with a large surface area with the amazing overview of the sea, the old city and mountains.

The apartment meets the highest standards, including a smart and modern system of regulating air temperature, fitted kitchen and bathrooms are included in the standard equipment being proposed by the developers. Having a total area of 123 sqm the property comprises of a large living room / kitchen / dining room, 3 spacious bedrooms, bathroom, guest toilet and laundry room as well as spacious terrace of 20 sqm with magnificent views. Further complimenting this apartment is an underlying garage. Price 469,000 euro.

For more photos, information and to book a viewing on this or the other 17 luxury homes, visit the RE/MAX listing here. 

February 18, 2019 - A single Bottlenose dolphin was found decomposing on Sveti Nikola Island, not far from the coast of the mainland in Budva, reported SANCET- Southern Adriatic Network for Cetacean, Elasmobranch and Turtle Strandings.

After receiving a call on the evening of Sunday, 17 February, with reports of the dead stranded dolphin on the island close to Budva, the Montenegro Dolphin Research (MDR) team, led by Lucy Abbiss, a British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) trained marine mammal medic and Researcher for the Marine Mammals Research Association (DMAD), visited the site to retrieve data for scientific purposes.

Despite the individual - identified as a juvenile, demonstrating early signs of decomposition, the team delineated that the dolphin had not undergone any physical injuries causing its death and that the markings seen were merely signs of decomposition. Although it is not clear what may have caused the death or stranding of the dolphin without further analysis through autopsy, it is possible that the time it was stranded coincides with the current seismic activity in Montenegro, could be related. Alternatively, there is the possibility of the death being related to zoonotic viruses, previous storm-related activities or other natural causes.

DMAD has successfully operated the first long-term study on dolphins in Montenegro, starting the Montenegro Dolphin Research project in September 2016. As of December 2018, the organization established the Southern Adriatic Network for Cetacean, Elasmobranch and Turtles stranding events (SANCET). Since then, SANCET, currently in the early stages of development, have already conducted various stranding surveys from Ada Bojana to Jaz. As the network continues to develop, the need for the help of the public and other scientific organizations grows stronger,” reported SANCET on their website.

“The help of other organizations participating in the Southern Adriatic Stranding Network (SANCET) is essential to further delineate the cause of death, aiding the conservation management plans for Montenegro's marine life,” emphasized SANCET on their website.

SANCET, founded in December 2018, is aimed at providing the first regional network for centralizing information on marine life stranding in Montenegro, with the hope to expand future operations in both Albania and Bosnia. With the current situation of cetacean stranding monitoring is being absent from the Eastern region of the South Adriatic and with a lack of national stranding networks, SANCET hopes to provide a database that encompasses all or part of the coastlines above.

25 January 2019 - The implementation of the largest Turkish investment project in Montenegro, which is the construction of a hotel with two towers with 15 floors, is being prohibited by the Municipality of Budva, yet the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism of Montenegro recently gave its consent to the preliminary design.

However, the question remains whether the investment will succeed, given the numerous problems, including property-legal relations for the land.

The Podgorica-based company "Mia Investments" of the Turkish founders intends to build a five-star hotel at the attractive land complex at the Adriatic Fair, only ten meters from the Slovenska plaža (beach), which would consist of two towers - 15-story solitaire.

Chairman of the board of directors of "Mia Investments" is Sener Ahmet Ozan, while members of the board are Kader Murat, Tito Orfea and Arikan Habip.

The land complex consists of about 8,500 square metres, which is still in the cadastral register registered with the company "Safiro Beach Resort", whose founder is the company "Expom Hotel Partners Limited" based in Cyprus.

The construction of the towers is being prevented by the Municipality of Budva, which opposes building a multi-story building on the coast itself.

In August 2018, the Turkish company submitted a request to the chief architect of the Municipality of Budva to give the consent to the preliminary design, but the procedure was terminated after the Property Protection Secretariat was recognized as a party within the proceedings.

The construction of the two towers in Budva would be the most significant investment of Turkish investors in the Montenegrin hotel business. However, it is known that with the new legal solutions, the builders of 5-star hotels have the opportunity to sell half of the units as apartments for the market. Although a detailed urban plan "Budva Centre" covering this site has been put off for two years, only hotels are allowed to be built within the municipality.

Source: Investitor

14 January 2019 - A consortium of the Czech Philibert and Petrovac-based Vila Oliva submitted a sole bid in the public tender for the sale of 56.4806% of the share capital of the Institute for Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation and Rheumatology Dr Simo Milošević AD Igalo.

In line with the 2018 Privatisation Plan, the Tender Commission for Privatisation started activities on drafting and implementing the tender for the sale of the share capital of the Institute. During 2018, several letters were delivered about the intentions of potential investors for the privatisation of the Institute, three bidders were registered in the public tender (purchased the tender documentation and signed the Confidentiality Statement), but only the bid by the consortium of the Czech Philibert, which is part of the Cimex Group, and Villa Oliva was submitted within the set deadline.

The public tender for the sale of 56.4806% of the share capital of the Institute Dr Simo Milošević was announced on 16 October 2018, with the deadline for submission of bids until 14 January 2019 at 12:00.

The public invitation and the tender documentation define the qualifying conditions and the minimum conditions the bidder has to fulfill to enable the offer to be taken into consideration. The fulfillment of the Qualification Conditions will be evaluated after receiving and opening the package with the bid.

The Tender Commission will not consider bids that do not meet the minimum requirements. The submitted bid will be opened at a session of the Commission to be held this week.

After the opening of the bid, the Commission will examine whether it meets the qualification requirements, after which, within 15 days from the day of its opening, it will be evaluated regarding its quality in line with the criteria defined by the Instructions to Bidders.

After the conducted tender, the Tender Commission will submit the report on the results of the tender to the Privatisation and Capital Projects Council for adoption.

A vibrant music and entertainment program that began in Budva on December 22^nd as part of the "Christmas pjaceta" project in the city park, near the Old Town, came to an end this weekend with a concert by the most famous Montenegrin band - "Perper". Within the "Christmas pjaceta" numerous concerts and entertainment programs for different tastes and ages were realized, and it additionally completed Budva's offer during the past New Year's and Christmas holidays.

After the performance by Nina Žižić and DJ Stevan Mandić, the audience was entertained once again by the DJ and producer Stevan Mandić on Saturday evening at 8 p.m. On Sunday,  DJ Necke warmed up the audience before the performance of "Perper", who played from 8 to 10.30 pm. After Perper, at the stage in front of the city park, the famous and loved sounds of songs such as "Montenegro jazz","Golub za 086","Na Svetog Nikolu","Kome dolaziš u san","Goro moja "and many others could be heard. 

On Sunday the last in a series of humanitarian actions was realized, which aimed to raise funds for the purchase of wheelchairs for the needs of the Second Primary School from Budva.

All interested were able to donate the funds in the city park at the TO Budva stand.

The "Christmas pjaceta" project was organized by the Tourist Organization of the Municipality of Budva, with the support of the local self-government and the JP Morsko dobro, and the co-organizers were Budva Caterers Association whose offer is available at wooden houses within the park.

Text by Vuk Lajovic, on January 12th 2019, read more at Vijesti