The authorities of Montenegro, despite the geopolitical situation in the world, hope to restore the flow of tourists to the country. However, to do this, the tourism industry will have to find a replacement for Russian and Ukrainian tourists, who accounted for a significant market share. This was announced by the Minister of Economic Development Yakov Milatovich.
According to him, in 2021, out of the total number of travelers who visited Montenegro, 12% were citizens of Russia, another 9% – Ukraine.
“Thus, tourists from these two countries accounted for 21% of the total tourist flow. This is a very high proportion of bookings and we need to find a replacement. We will look for alternatives and promote our tourism product in other markets,” the minister explained.
The official also added that the country’s airports are providing significant subsidies to foreign airlines this season. This measure has already helped to expand the geography of flights from Montenegro.
“As a result, we have received increased interest from a large number of carriers who will fly from Scandinavia, the Baltic States and Western Europe for the first time. We will open some new markets, more exotic destinations for Montenegro, such as Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia,” Yakov Milatovich concluded.