The interest of tourists from Germany in our country is huge, and Montenegro is a year-round destination for this market, said the director of the National Tourist Organization (NTO) Ana Tripković Marković.
As announced, NTO participates in the International Tourist Exchange ITB, which is held in Berlin, and which is one of the two most important tourist events in the world. This year, the fair was organized exclusively in the B2B segment, which was an opportunity for the Montenegrin tourism industry to hold meetings, as well as for Montenegrin tourism entities to meet with numerous international partners.
Director of NTO Montenegro, Dr. Ana Tripković Marković, said that the interest is huge and that Montenegro is becoming a year-round tourist destination for the German market.
– When it comes to the German market, last year we had around 152,000 arrivals in collective and individual accommodation, which is almost double the growth compared to 2021. These are encouraging data, but there is still a lot of room for growth in the mentioned market. We are particularly encouraged by the data from January of this year, which tell us that there were about three times more arrivals compared to the previous year and 37% more compared to 2019. It means that Montenegro becomes a year-round tourist destination for the German market, which is of course our goal – Tripković Marković pointed out.
State Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism, Armend Milla, said that this fair is also significant because of the presence of numerous tour operators and agencies from other markets.
– The Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism wants, in cooperation with other institutions from the field of tourism, to contribute to making Montenegro visible 365 days a year. It is an ongoing process that requires numerous activities. We highly value our partnership with the German market, especially with the tourism industry from Germany – said Milla.
Dragan Popović, in front of the national airline Air Montenegro, which is a strategic partner of NTO Montenegro, says that it is a great pleasure to present the offer at the fair in Berlin.
– We will have meetings with partners from Germany regarding the lines to Frankfurt that we operate in regular traffic and to other destinations in Europe. In the coming days, we are expecting meetings with partners from Switzerland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and other countries – said Popović.
The strategic partner of NTO CG – the tourist agency Gold Travel has positive impressions from the fair, and they say that there is great interest in Montenegro.
– We are pleased by the fact that tourists from Germany are also interested in the winter season, which is certainly a benefit not only for the northern, but also the southern and central parts. First of all, I am thinking of Podgorica, where the entire economy would be involved in the promotion and development of winter tourism – said Edin Hajdarpašić in front of the Gold travel agency.
The Luminalis tourist agency is also satisfied with the participation in the fair and they point out that there is great interest in Montenegro as a tourist destination. The director of this agency, Nataša Smiljanić, pointed out that they have over 30 scheduled meetings during the fair and that they are happy that the destination is already known.
Acting director of LTO Bar, Nikoleta Nikčević, points out that the German-speaking market is extremely important for Bar.
– Tourists from this area are most interested in active vacations, while Bar abounds in exactly that offer. What separates Bar from other cities is that we have the Adriatic Sea and Lake Skadar, where most Germans gravitate – said Nikčević.
Dalibor Vuković, in front of LTO Herceg Novi, says that they have started to realize a large number of meetings.
– What is important about such exchanges is that all markets meet here. So, in addition to our interests on the German market, we are in a situation to satisfy some other interests as well. Together with the TO of Kotor and Tivat, we arranged meetings with numerous agencies, tour operators, journalists and influencers, and I hope that we will manage to organize visits to Montenegro – said Vuković.
The day before the fair on March 6, the NTO of Montenegro presented the Montenegrin tourism offer at the IMM (International Media Marketplace) media event. On that occasion, representatives of NT OCG held meetings with over 20 renowned media from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, where they discussed the possibilities of cooperation in promoting the tourism offer of Montenegro.
– We are really delighted and honored that Montenegro is a guest at such an event. At the stand of Montenegro, I saw some of the most influential media, which can only confirm that there is great interest from German-speaking countries – emphasized the organizer of IMM, Axel Kaus.
ITB is the most visited tourist exchange that gathers representatives of institutions, organizations and businesses from over 180 countries. In the last year of its holding in 2019, the tourism offer was presented by 10,000 exhibitors, and the fair recorded 110,000 visits, of which 60,000 were from business representatives.
In addition to NTO CG, the tourist offer was also presented by strategic partners of NTO CG – national airline Air Montenegro, HG Budvanska Riviera and tourist agency Gold Travel, local tourist organizations of Kotor, Ulcinj, Tivat, Bar, Podgorica and Herceg Novi, hotels Voco Podgorica, Vivid Blue Serenity Resort, Karisma, HG Montenegro Stars, FKK Ada Bojana, Mediteran, Maestral Resort&Casino, as well as travel agencies Montenegro Tourist Service, Gulliver and Luminalis.
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