19 August 2019 - In recent years, especially after joining NATO, Montenegro has confirmed the already existing image of a safe and secure destination, which is one of the main factors for a modern tourist when choosing a holiday destination, said PR Manager of the National Tourism Organization (NTO) of Montenegro, Nina Vukčević.

In a video statement posted on the Twitter account of the Government of Montenegro, Vukčević said that in 2017, the number of tourists who visited Montenegro grew by 10 per cent when compared to the previous year, and that the number of overnight stays was 6 per cent higher than in 2016.

"The growth trend was also noted last year, when we achieved new records both in tourist turnover and in tourism revenue," Vukčević said.

According to the data from the National Tourism Organisation of Montenegro, from 2016 to 2018, there was a significant growth of tourists from the following countries: Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United States of America (USA) and Canada.

"The growth of the number of tourists from the aforementioned markets was especially noted this year," Vukčević added.

Highlighting the increase in number of tourists, she noted that in the first four months of 2016, two thousand tourists from Germany visited Montenegro, and today that number is over 30 thousand for the same period.

"It's a really impressive result," Vukčević concluded, underlining that the growth in number of tourists is related to Montenegro’s image of a secure destination.

Read more about Politics in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

19 August 2019 - From the beginning of the year, the Monteput company, which operates the Sozina tunnel, collected over 6 million EUR from toll payments to use the tunnel Sozina, Cafe del Montenegro reported.

The total revenues from tolls for passenger vehicles amounted to 3,85 million EUR, while 2.2 million EUR was collected from other categories of vehicles.

"The total revenues from tolls at the Sozina tunnel amounted to 6.071.670 euros," the company Monteput announced.

The representatives of the company say that 12.080 vehicles on average pass through the tunnel Sozina daily during the summer season.

"We count that the summer season starts as of 1 June and until 13 August, a total of 12.080 vehicles on average have passed through the tunnel Sozina. There is no crowd at toll booths for most of the week, which means that passengers are waiting just a minute or two," stated the representatives of the company Monteput.

From the beginning of the year to 13 August 2019, 1,76 million vehicles have passed through the tunnel.

In addition, this company issued 230 smart cards from the beginning of the year, as well as 279 TAG devices that removed the need to pay the toll charges using cash.

When it comes to the investment in the tunnel, Monteput changed and put in place a new system of managing the tunnel, which includes protection against explosive concrete spalling with polypropylene fibres, detection of incidents and video surveillance.

Read more news about business in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

18 August 2019 - Natural gas that is going to be transported by the Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline, will contribute to decarbonization and its effects will be felt in South-East Europe and Western Balkans primarily, said a representative of TAP for Greece Katerina Papaleksandri.

According to Papaleksandri, energy sectors hinge on hard fossil fuels for electricity production, such as coal and lignite.

"Trans-Adriatic Pipeline will help Europe shift to the economy with low carbon-dioxide share, it will diversify energy supply sources, strengthen European competition and improve the European gas connection. We expect demand for natural gas to increase, since it replaces coal and wood," said Papaleksandri.

Trans-Adriatic Pipeline is part of Trans-Anatolian Pipeline which came into use last summer and is intended to bring gas to the Azerbaijani  Shah Deniz 2 gas field in the Caspian Sea, crossing Turkey to Europe. Trans-Adriatic Pipeline starts at the Greek-Turkish border, goes through Albania, Adriatic Sea and comes ashore in Southern Italy. The first gas deliveries will begin next year.

Papaleksandri said that works in Greece and Albania neared completion and that almost all pipes had been filled and installed.

"Trans-Adriatic Pipeline is currently moving further into the project construction phase. Compressor and dosing stations are being completed, pipeline receiving terminal in Italy as well," pointed out Papaleksandri.

She points out that the European Commission and the EU Member States have recognized the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline as a very important strategic project. The pipeline is 878 kilometers long.

On 1 July, the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline launched a market test, a commercial process through which gas shippers can get access to new, long-term capacities.

Trans-Adriatic Pipeline representative for Greece says that natural gas is the best energy source in conjunction with renewable resources, thanks to its price and natural characteristics.

"Gas, as the cleanest fuel fossil fuel, has clear environmental advantages over other energy sources such as coal and oil," stressed out Papaleksandri, as CdM reports.

She adds that the development of renewable energy resources is crucial to European transition to the economy with low carbon-dioxide share.

"Natural gas will still be part of the divergent energy mix, which includes other energy sources, such as renewable nuclear sources. Europe will need reliable, safe and accessible energy coming from various sources. In accordance with the European Energy Strategy, every EU Member State should have access to at least three electricity supply sources," concluded Papaleksandri.

Trans-Adriatic Pipeline stretch passing through Montenegro is Ionian-Adriatic pipeline. Papaleksandri said that she did not want to comment on other pipeline systems.

"Trans-Adriatic Pipeline remains open for cooperation with IAP promoters," added Papaleksandri.

Read more news about business in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

17 August 2019 - The Taste Domestic Products Cluster (Montenegrin: klaster Probaj domaće) is implementing the project Taste domestic products from Montenegro in popular tourist centres - in Budva, Bar, Petrovac, Tivat, Virpazar and Rijeka Crnojevića, reports RTCG.

The project will run throughout the whole summer and will be implemented in Petrovac from August 17 to August 20.

"The project is being implemented with the support of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism of Montenegro, as part of the Program of Incentive Measures in the Field of Tourism for this and next year," the statement said.

The project Taste domestic products from Montenegro, as they explained, was conceived as a promotional, marketing, media and fair campaign that will allow the members of Taste Domestic Products Cluster and other agricultural producers, as well as ethno village owners, to expand the market of their products and services to tourists who visit Montenegro during the summer.

"The project will also enable them to establish direct contact and arrange the placement of their products with representatives of the Montenegrin tourism industry (HORECA – Hotel, Restaurant, Café), as well as to increase the competitiveness of traditional products on the domestic market," the statement added.

In addition to meetings of producers and tourists, direct contacts will be organized between producers and representatives of the tourism industry and caterers, to include domestic products in their offer.

The Taste Domestic Products Cluster cluster was created as a result of a great number of fairs of traditional Montenegrin products such as wine, prosciutto, olives, cheese, and honey, as well as processed fruits and vegetables cooked according to the traditional recipes. At these gatherings, the producers from Montenegro prepared different products of distinct aroma and taste that reminded all visitors what the Montenegrin cuisine has to offer.

The aim of the cluster, as well as this specific project, is to improve the promotion of domestic products both inside and outside Montenegro, as well as to help local producers to implement their projects and ideas more easily and to position themselves in the market.

The founder of the Taste Domestic Products Cluster, Velimir Đoković emphasised that dealing with marketing and promotion, they strive to connect manufacturers better and introduce them to the local public as well as to tourists coming to Montenegro. “Guests are not satisfied just with the enjoyment of our beautiful beaches; they want to get to know the country and the specifics of some regions. Therefore, this way of presenting Montenegro affects the overall economy, from the consumption of domestic food to the offer of new knowledge, which guarantees the return of the guests as well as the direct promotion of the destination through the experience they take from Montenegro," said Đoković.

17 August 2019 - More than 75.000 tourists visited Podgorica in the first six months of 2019. There have been around 130.000 overnight stays, which is a 15% rise in comparison to the same period last year, said the representatives of Tourist Organization Podgorica, as CdM reports. In July and August, this trend is expected to be on an upward trajectory.

According to the Statistical Office of Montenegro, around 18.623 tourists visited Capital city in June this year, and there were 31.273 overnights stays.

The increase in the number of overnight stays means tourists decide to stay longer in Podgorica and that it’s becoming more attractive to tourists.

"As the capital of a country whose main economic power lies in tourism, Podgorica is becoming more and more attractive to tourists. Podgorica has no seasonal character; it is dynamic throughout the year, open and hospitable for visitors. Dominant visitors are business tourists," said the representatives of Tourist Organization Podgorica.

Thanks to membership in European Cities Marketing, Podgorica found its place among European cities and famous tourist regions, which contributes to its image and the promotion of Montenegro. Representatives of Tourist Organization are satisfied with the tourist progress recorded in the past years.

"All segments of our offer chain are assuming synergy, we tend to form new amenities in our offer, to meet the demand of tourists and follow the trends of the tourist market," said the representatives of Tourist Organization Podgorica.

Despite high temperatures, Podgorica attracts attention even during summer, thanks to numerous events.

"The cultural summer in Podgorica stands out. It encompasses segments of music, theater, film, literature and art. Visitors can enjoy shows, exhibitions, promotions and concerts in our Capital until 21 September. Another attractive event in Podgorica is "Ajmo na Moraču". The objective of the event is to promote Morača and its potential for the development of selective forms of tourism and sports. The Kayak regatta will be held on 29 August. It will bring together a great number of the fans of this type of sport," pointed out representatives of Tourist Organization Podgorica.

Representatives of the Tourist Organization Podgorica said that they need a more innovative and creative approach to the development of visit programs, both for individuals and groups. Podgorica can add more value to its offer by organizing excursions aimed at seeing the attractions of the city through experiencing local culture, tradition and gastronomic and wine offers.

"In order to develop Podgorica as congress destination, we need a congress center for hosting trade fairs and events. It would also be an incentive to the development of business tourism," pointed out representatives of this tourist organization.

They also added that tourists choose Skadar Lake as the most attractive destination.

"Visitors want to enjoy numerous amenities, such as hiking, bird-watching, cruising," stressed out the representatives of Tourist Organization Podgorica.

Vineyard Plantaže, the biggest in Europe, wine cellar Šipčanik and archeological sites Medun and Duklja are also very attractive to tourists.

"Tourists take an interest in religious tourism too. Tourists would also like to feel the spirit of Podgorica and thus they visit Stara Varoš, Petrović Castle, museums and galleries," concluded the representatives of Tourist Organization Podgorica.

Read more about traveling through Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

17 August 2019 - Works on the Bar-Boljare highway are going according to plan. The latest video recording made by the Bemax company clearly shows it.

Three bridges have been finished, and the first segment of Moračica has been connected. The bridge is expected to be finished by September. Moračica will be 360 meters long and 23,4 meters wide. Five pillars will support it. The range from the bottom of the Morača riverbed to carriageway construction will amount to more than 200 meters.

The most expensive bridge on the highway priority section, Smokovac-Mateševo, is the Moračica bridge and its cost will be around 74,5 million EUR. The Preslo bridge will cost 1,3 million EUR, said the representatives of the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs of Montenegro.

According to the data, around 205,3 million EUR has been spent on the construction of 20 bridges and 387,6 million EUR has been earmarked for the construction of 16 tunnels on the Bar - Boljare highway. After Moračica, Jabuka bridge is the most expensive (29,3 million EUR). It is followed by Uvac 4 (18 million EUR), Tara 2 (14,6 million EUR) and Tara 1 (8,6 million EUR).

As far as tunnels are concerned, Vjeternik is the most expensive – 66,8 million EUR. Kosman tunnel costs 51,9 million EUR and Vežešnik tunnel costs 44,7 million EUR. Mala trava costs almost 40 million EUR and Jabučki krš 28,4 million EUR. Vitanovice and Pajkov vir will cost 5,9 million EUR and 7,3 million EUR respectively.

Representatives of Bemax company, the biggest sub-contractor of CRBC, said that works would be finished within the established deadline, as Cafe del Montenegro reported.

First highway section is expected to be finished in the middle of 2020.

Read more news about business in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

16 August 2019 - Company "Design and CO" from Tivat has obtained approval for building a residential complex in Kavač settlement in Kotor. Conceptual design for another two residential facilities has been approved as well. The complex will consist of 5 buildings and it will have a total of 119 residential units. The project has been approved by Dušan Vuksanović, the acting chief state architect.

Chief Executive Officer of the "Design and CO" company is Sonad Kiliclar, who is also the founder of the company with 51% of the ownership.

Technical description of the facility states that it will be intended for tourists’ residence.

The conceptual design envisages 4 phases of the project. First two phases are currently underway. The first phase entails construction of two residential facilities, Block A and Block B, as well as the construction of a pool with a technical premise. The second phase involves the construction of one residential facility, block C. Phase III entails the construction of a garage with open parking. Phase IV involves the construction of two residential facilities, block D and block E.

Block A will consist of a ground floor, two floors and 36 residential units. Block B consists of a basement, ground floor and it will have 18 flats. Block C will have a basement, ground floor and two floors. It will have 23 flats. These three structures are currently under construction. The garage will have eight parking places. Open parking consists of the lower level, which is naturally sloped and has 101 parking places, and the upper level, which is parallel with the main road. It will have 12 parking places, as Cafe del Montenegro reports.

Block D will have two basement floors, ground floor, two floors and it will have 28 residential units. Block E will have a basement, ground floor and 14 residential units.

Read more news about business in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

17 August 2019 - On Sunday, August 18, starting at 8 pm, Lepetani, a small settlement in Tivat Municipality, will host the first Fish and Wine Festival.

The festival is organized by the local community of Lepetani, sponsored by the Tivat Municipality and the Tivat Tourist Organisation. Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy free fried and grilled fish and all tastings are paired with exclusive wines selected for the occasion. The manifestation will also feature live music by the local musician Bojan Delić and his band.

The organisers of the manifestation expect that the Fish and Wine Festival will gather a large number of visitors to the Lepetani promenade, who will enjoy music and local specialties until late in the evening.

Preparations for the event are currently on-going, and the organisers are announcing a wonderful evening from which guests will only carry positive impressions.

This area has a rich tradition, and the Municipality of Tivat will continue to support such events, with the aim of getting the tourists familiarised with the specifics of Montenegrin coastal cities.

The manifestation starts at 8 pm in front of the Cultural Centre of Tivat. The Lepetani local community invites all tourists and locals to join this gastronomic party and be part of an unforgettable event in the beautiful setting on the Montenegrin coast.

Get ready to get a taste of the seaside in Tivat!

17 August 2019 - The manifestation Honey and Olive Days in Grbalj, organised to support the local producers and to improve the tourist offer of Kotor, will be held on Saturday, August 17, in front of Business Centre Vukšić from 10 am to 8 pm.

The event will be opened at 10 o'clock by Radule Miljanić, President of the Union of Beekeeping Organisations of Montenegro, reports BokaNews Portal. Members of the Grbalj Beekeepers Society have been organizing this exhibition of beekeeping products from 2015, and the individuals who exhibit the products include local producers and guests from other parts of Montenegro.  The products which will be exhibited at the fair include organic honey, bee pollen, royal jelly, propolis, bee wax, bee venom, mead, as well as olives and olive oil.

Recognizing that this type of promotion of local products also means the popularization of beekeeping and healthy lifestyle, as well as the improvement the tourist offer of Kotor with new contents, the Managing Board of the Beekeeping Organisation organises this event at least once a year.

“The lack of exhibition space, above all, is a constant problem of all NGOs that need to promote their work in this way, and it puts us in the situation that every year we have to ask different organisations for both space and support. This year, the owner of Business Centre Vukšić, who has already proved to be a supporter of the organisation's work in the past, has granted us the exhibition space without compensation, and we are very grateful, “said the representatives of the Beekeeping organisation.

Montenegrin honey has already been recognised within the country and abroad, as a high-quality product, which can be declared a national brand.

At the recently held Smell of Linden and Honey Festival, it was estimated that thanks to the proactive policies and incentives of the Government of Montenegro, beekeeping is becoming more and more popular and more profitable. On that occasion, the Mayor of Cetinje, Aleksandar Kašćelan claimed that in Montenegro, honey could be rightfully referred to as a national brand. "First of all, because of the quality to which domestic producers pay great attention, but also because of all the measures that are being taken to market the original and safe products. This is especially because of the good prospects for the placement of large quantities of the honey produced in Cetinje and generally Montenegro on European and other markets, which highly value brand and good image,” said Kašćelan.

17 August 2019 - The Government of Montenegro will invest about 100 million EUR in the construction of new ski resorts, including the complete road, electricity and, utility infrastructure, by 2022, said the director of Public Works Directorate Resad Nuhodžić in an interview for Radio Montenegro.

The Public Works Administration, according to Nuhodžić, currently has over one hundred projects that include a large number of subprojects that are in the different stages of realization, mostly in northern Montenegro.

"Such a large number of projects is a direct indicator of a strategic commitment of the Government of Montenegro to invest in infrastructure development of the northern region and thus to affect the even development of the state. It is the Government’s goal to provide a higher standard of living to the inhabitants of the northern region,” says Nuhodžić.

In recent years, the Government of Montenegro has worked intensively to create conditions for the full valorisation of the tourism potential of northern municipalities, and to this end, new ski centres have been recognized as a great opportunity not only for tourism development, but also for improving the living conditions of the population and job creation.

Nuhodžić highlighted that the new Kolašin 1600 ski resort was opened in the middle of February this year, and the Government allocated 17 million EUR for that project. Another ski lift is planned at this location, which will connect the Kolašin 1600 and Kolašin 1450 ski resorts. Also, as the representatives of the Government informed the public several times in the past, the construction of three new ski centres has been initiated.

The construction of a traffic infrastructure worth close to two million euros is underway near Hajla Mountain in Rožaje. Upon completion of this work, conditions will be created for the construction of a cable car with supporting facilities worth more than nine million euros.

“Bjelo Polje’s Cmiljača will be the real winter jewel of Montenegro in a year. The site is currently under construction, which includes ten kilometres of long-term transport infrastructure, as well as electricity networks, as a precondition for the construction of ski slopes and cable cars, which have already been contracted, for a total value of about 11 million EUR,” said Nuhodžić.

Also, preparations are underway for the construction of a ski centre on the Žarski site in Mojkovac municipality. The Public Works Administration has already contracted the development of technical documentation and the construction of a cable car and ski slopes, and the Government will allocate close to 30 million EUR for the entire project.

He added that, unfortunately, some projects included irresponsible contractors, who did not comply with the contractual obligations. "I will recall that for these reasons we have recently terminated three contracts, and I would like to take this opportunity to once again publicly announce that the Administration Public Works Office and the Government of Montenegro will not tolerate if the irresponsibility of individual companies questions the implementation of capital projects. Therefore, I can judge the dynamics of the works as satisfactory, but it can certainly be better,” Nuhodžić said.

Read more about the capital projects of the Government of Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.