pristIn Montenegro, about 179 thousand tourists came.

The representative of the National Tourism Organization (NTO), Milena Vujovic, said that about 179 thousand tourists came to Montenegro on Thursday, which is 9% more than last year and represents 90% of the 2019 level.

"According to the same data, about 44 thousand tourists are vacationing in Montenegrin hotels, which is 6% more than in the same period last year and 18% more than in 2019," Vujovic told Mediabiro agency.

While these are preliminary data, the NTO, she said, also relies on data from other institutions, which also indicate the success of the tourist season.

Tourist tax revenue

"One of the most authoritative indicators of the realization of the tourist season is the income from the tourist tax. YTD through August 17, revenue is €1.44 million, up 35% from the same period last year. In addition, Airports of Montenegro served 1.35 million passengers from January 1 to July 31, which is 95% of the results in the comparative period of 2019," said Vujovic.

National park attendance

Montenegro's national parks also boast good attendance, with more than 420,000 visitors from the beginning of the year until August 13, which is 45% more than in the same period last year and 25% more than in 2019.

The structure of guests

With regard to the structure of guests, in the first six months, the highest number of tourists from Russia, Serbia, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), France, Turkey and the United Kingdom were registered. There has also been a significant increase in the number of guests from new issuer markets.

"In the Scandinavian market, we have seen the largest increase in visitor numbers compared to last year.

She said that there was a 67% increase in tourist arrivals from Estonia, a 60% increase in tourist arrivals from Latvia, and 2.4 times more tourists from Lithuania.

In order to continue such positive results in the next period, and to ensure that Montenegro continues to have excellent attendance outside the tourist season, NTO is actively working to promote the destination to a wide audience. The focus will be on digital presence and targeted marketing campaigns aimed at important markets.