The number of Russian tourists in Montenegro is growing.

The summer tourist season in Montenegro is in full swing, and official statistics show a significant increase in the number of Russian tourists, despite the fierce anti-Montenegrin propaganda from local authorities due to Montenegro's accession to NATO. Despite the Kremlin's attempts to dissuade Russian citizens from traveling to and staying in Montenegro, it seems that tourists from this region are not particularly concerned about the political disagreements between Moscow and Podgorica.

The latest data from the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro shows that Russian tourists made four times more overnight stays in Montenegrin hotels in the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year. The number of overnight stays by tourists from Russia exceeds 179,000. Nearly 30,000 tourists from Russia stayed in Montenegrin hotels in the first half of this year, which is a 14 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Russian state propaganda, which aimed to deter Russians from visiting Montenegro and harm the Montenegrin tourism industry, clearly did not have the desired effect. Let us recall that Russia threatened economic and political retaliation against Montenegro for its decision to join NATO, including a campaign to undermine the Montenegrin tourism sector, which largely depends on Russian visitors.

Why did Russian tourists ignore the warnings from high-ranking government officials that Montenegro is no longer safe for Russians, and that "Russophobia" is happening? The director of the National Tourism Organization, Željka Radak-Kukavičić, speaks about possible reasons: "This story blew up at a time when people seemed to have already decided where they would go on vacation. Perhaps Russian tourists, like in other countries, were guided solely by their personal choice of vacation spot, not paying attention to what official policy says. Montenegro is considered a safe place by Russians, a place where the price-to-quality ratio is good, guests who leave Montenegro do so satisfied, they can stay for up to three months, and there are no language barriers. I think all these reasons influenced the fact that, despite this political propaganda, the number of Russian tourists in Montenegro has not decreased."

Many Russians who come to Montenegro own property here, which they usually rent out to other Russians.

Political statements do not affect tourists: Rade Ratkovic, a tourism expert from Budva, tells Radio Free Europe (RFE) that it was not to be expected that Russians who own property in Montenegro and earn money by renting it out in the summer would refuse to travel to Montenegro solely because of political statements and proposals: "If it is only about political statements and proposals, then it does not have a decisive impact on tourists and their decisions about where to spend their summer vacation. Especially if there are no state measures and decisions in this direction; if there were, the situation would be different. It is also important that Russians come to their own property in Montenegro, sending their friends and guests to assess these properties, and it would be difficult for them to give this up without a direct ban from their government. Since there has been no such ban, politics is unable to change tourist flows and trends. It would be able to change the situation if the state resorted to state and administrative measures."

This is also evidenced by the fact that just last week, 13,000 passengers from Russia arrived at Tivat Airport, which is 15 percent more than during the same period last year. In July, Tivat Airport is seeing a 22 percent increase in passenger traffic from this market and a 20 percent increase in air traffic.