Although shaken by the coronavirus pandemic, tourism sector will continue to be the basic drive of country’s development. However, Strategy for the development of maritime economy for 2020-2030 states that Montenegro still has considerable untapped potential, whose exploitation would move the present tourism products towards more elite category.
Special purpose spatial plan for the coastal zone of Montenegro defines the manner of organization and regimes of the use of the Coastal regions, as well as distribution of functions and zones for specific purposes.
This plan recognized tourism as basic driver of the development of this region.
“Projects of the construction of marinas for mega-yachts such as Port Tivat Porto Montenegro, as complex of tourism amenities on Luštica, Portonovi and others, are prerequisite for moving the present quality of tourism product to the elite category. However, development should be based on the dispersion of economic activities which can be realized with the development of modern maritime economy. Maritime transport, ports, free zones and support for maritime engineering are very important orientation”, strategy states.
Port Bar and shipyard port in Bijela are development grounds for the aforementioned activities.
“Analysis of the maritime economy emphasizes important untapped potentials. Financing problems, outdated technology, unused capacities, insufficient number of national and foreign investments, surplus of employees on one side and absence of qualified staff on the other”, strategy says.
In line with the guidelines of the SPSP, activities aimed at recovering and developing maritime sector are liberalization of activities, completion of legislative framework, harmonization with international standards, improvement of availability of data and reform of statistics.
“Maritime activity is very intense and requires long-term development. Any delay in contemporary trends can inflict serious damage to the sector. On the other hand, it’s important to note that Montenegro belongs to the group of countries with a privilege to have sea and having regard to its economic size, maritime affairs can be important generator of development”.
Maritime economy has not been valued enough.
Free zones, and particularly, free zone of the port in Bar, represent an important economic potential.
