The number of tourists in Montenegro in November was nearly twice as high as a year earlier

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The number of tourists in Montenegro stood at 91,263 in November, nearly twice as high as the 45,665 visitors a year earlier, statistics office data showed.

Montenegrin Tourism Minister Goran Djurovic has projected that the country could record a better summer season than in 2019 despite the Russian war in Ukraine. However, so far the numbers have been below expectations. Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic has warned that the number of foreign tourists during the summer season in the country was lower than anticipated due to the significantly increased prices at hotels and restaurants.

Tourism is a key industry for the Montenegrin economy, contributing around a quarter to its GDP. In 2020, it was severely hit by the corona crisis. Last year, the industry recovered better than expected but could not reach the pre-crisis levels. Expectations for this year were rather cautious as visitors from Russia and Ukraine make up a significant share of foreign tourists.

The statistics office reported that foreign tourist arrivals totalled 81,884 in the tenth month of the year.

Tourists’ overnight stays stood at 268,002, up from 139,633 a year ago. Foreign tourist overnights amounted 236,469.

Most tourists visited seaside resorts in October (83.3%), followed by the capital Podgorica (11.7%), mountain resorts (2.7%) and other sites (2.4%).

In 2020, tourist arrivals shrank 87% y/y, while overnight stays collapsed by 83.3% y/y. Most tourists came from Russia (22%), Serbia (20.3%) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (15.3%). In 2021, the sector recovered better than expected, with arrivals rising to 1.67mn and overnights reaching nearly 10mn. Most visitors came from Serbia (32.6%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (12.9%), Russia (12.1) and Ukraine (9.2%), says on bneIntelliNews.

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