On the road in Montenegro: a country on the move
In October we travelled through Montenegro, in Podgorica, along the coast and inland. We attended an international tourism forum, spoke with hoteliers, restaurateurs and estate agents, and met the country's tourism organisation. What we took home fits into one sentence: Montenegro is preparing for Europe with visible seriousness, and tourism is leading the way.
Getting there is quick
Wizz Air flies to Podgorica from several airports in Austria, Slovenia, Germany and Switzerland. Podgorica airport is small, easy to navigate and welcoming. From the German-speaking countries you reach the sea faster than many destinations at home.
Europe and Asia in Podgorica
From 11 to 14 October, Podgorica hosted the Interregional High-Level Tourism Forum "Europe and Asia", organised by Montenegro's Ministry of Tourism together with UN Tourism. We were there. The forum showed how confidently Montenegro is claiming its place in international tourism, as a bridge between the markets of Europe and Asia.
On the sidelines we met Montenegro's tourism organisation. There, too, interest in partners from the German-speaking countries was strong: experience with guests from Austria, Germany and Switzerland, with extending the season and with service quality.
EU accession has arrived in everyday life
We were surprised by how much has already been put into practice: new roads, new traffic routing, building projects that clearly follow European standards. We have great respect for what this change means for the people and for businesses. At the same time, we see great potential for tourism in accession, far beyond the capital it brings into the country. More on our page EU accession.
Hoteliers are pleased and watchful
The hoteliers we spoke with look forward to more guests from northern and western Europe. They view the rules from Brussels critically, because they mean change, effort and cost. The hotels we visited were all of a very good standard.
Construction is under way, inland too. Generous new hotel complexes are going up, older properties are being revitalised, and the sense of a new beginning reaches the interior. Among estate agents we sensed how much interest in hotel projects has grown.
Porto Montenegro and Luštica Bay
Porto Montenegro is a showcase for what tourism can look like in the future. The large yachts interested us less than the question of what kind of tourism will grow from it for the whole country. We saw a path built on quality. Luštica Bay stayed with us in particular, a place with a long history on the Luštica peninsula.
Hospitality is an attitude here
In the restaurants we met people who live and love their profession, with passion for their cuisine, their wines and their guests. For guests from the German-speaking countries that is a strong argument, and for businesses it is a task: telling this strength so that it is visible at the moment of booking.
During these days we made first contacts and arranged further meetings. In the coming weeks we will report in more detail on the forum, the hotel industry and gastronomy.