The winter tourist season is quite poor and below the expected level, announced Zorica Milašinović, the director of the Tourist Organization (TO) Kolašin. She said that when snow doesn’t fall during December and January, and even if it falls in February, it doesn’t have much significance nor can it save the season.
“On Sunday, it was 15 degrees, which is a true spring day,” Milašinović said, adding that despite unfavorable weather conditions, they plan to organize Kolašin Sky Snow at the end of February, an event that will open the Sky Running League of Serbia and Montenegro, expecting a large number of participants.
She stated that the focus in the coming period will be on preparing offers for spring. Milašinović added that winter marathons are scheduled for March in collaboration with TO Žabljak.
Andja Vukčević, the director of Ski Center Vučje, also emphasized that this year’s winter tourist season did not meet expectations, with the main culprit being weather conditions, specifically the lack of snow.
“Unfortunately, there was no snow cover this year, and what little there was did not hold. Speaking about this season, I must emphasize that it is very unfavorable and quite poor for us, with an insufficient number of guests, all due to the lack of snowfall. If we compare this with previous years, we are now at around 20 percent,” Vukčević said.
Rade Ratković, the dean of the Faculty of Business and Tourism, stated that the data from Monstat, indicating only 7.8 percent of tourists in mountainous areas, is incomplete, as it concerns collective accommodation, which accounts for about ten percent of the total structure.
Ratković mentioned that the fact that mountain tourism is significantly below its potential cannot be denied, and the goals of all strategies should lead to a regional distribution of content that suits the natural resources of the north.
According to him, thematic and gastronomic tourism points should be established, which are in trend and represent another strategic pillar of Montenegro.