Tourism Minister, Simonida Kordić, claims there’s an ongoing campaign aiming to undermine both tourism and the economy in Montenegro. Hotel owner, Čedomir Popović, says the number of overnight stays has gone up by 15% despite reports suggesting this year’s preseason is worse than last year’s. Director of the Centre for Tourism Research and Development, Petar Golubović, touches on the misleading reports about the number of guests that create negative image of our country, while Head of the National Tourism Agency, Ana Tripković Marković, points out tourism promotion is good having in mind the amount of money allocated for it. This all has been stated in a TV show called ‘Naglas’ aired on the public broadcaster TVCG.
According to Minister Kordic, the winter season was better compared to last year’s, adding that there’s room for improvements.
As she explains, experts have noted discrepancies in the data concerning the number of tourists due to the number of emigrants from Ukraine. In her opinion, it’s important to interpret figures correctly, to possess real data and carry out the analysis. “Right now, a misleading campaign is being run when it comes to tourism aiming to undermine it. It uses only one data on the number of overnight stays. What is worrying is that such campaigns seek to undermine the industry as well.”
