A small country that depends on visitor revenues
The pandemic is choking tourism ... and Montenegro apartments are empty
The number of tourists in Montenegro has decreased this summer by 90% compared to last year. Archives
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Sailing in the calm waters of the magnificent Bay of Kotor surrounded by mountains, Ivan Gvedu Krivokapic expresses his delight at the tranquility of this site, which has been attracting many tourists for years.
However, this idealistic view resulting from the consequences of the "Covid-19" pandemic is tinged with concern for the economic future of Montenegro, a small country that relies heavily on tourism revenues.
“This year, tourists will be able to discover the bay empty (from navigation) and see the great beauty of our city,” says Krivokapic. Kotor is located on the foothills of mountains ending in the depth of the Adriatic Sea.
"People love calm, but they are unhappy, because the economic situation is dangerous," says Branko Radulovic, who rents out apartments in the city on the UNESCO World Heritage List. "We now realize our dependence on the hordes of tourists in the summer."
Tourism contributes to a quarter of the GDP and employs about 20% of the workforce in Montenegro.
Economists stress that the pandemic has highlighted "the danger of relying on one sector" in the national economy, which relies another 50% on agriculture.
The number of tourists decreased this summer by 90%, compared to last year, according to the National Tourism Authority.
Tourist spending in July and August was also 92% lower, which will inevitably affect the economy as a whole.
Just a few months ago, Montenegro was considered to be the first European country "free of corona", after several weeks had passed without any injuries.
But since July, the number of injuries has increased significantly, with more than 4,300 cases currently, while the population is only 620,000.
In an attempt to save the tourist season, the government recently opened the borders to the citizens of Serbia and Russia in particular, who constitute the majority of visitors.
"The lack of traffic is great, but the price is very high," says Danica Kazanegra Grigovic, owner of a local travel agency in Budva, the main coastal resort in Montenegro.
Last year, her agency, mediated by the travel company TUI, managed to attract 72,000 tourists to Montenegro from Western Europe, Scandinavia and Russia, but this year the number decreased to 300.
As for Stefan Petrovic (29 years), who runs a restaurant in Kotor, he believes that young people face an already high unemployment rate of more than 18%, with an average wage of 500 euros.
"Young people want to work and earn a living," he affirms, "so the holiday took too long."
Restaurant owner: Young people want to work and earn a living, the vacation is too long.