Calendar-wise, we are approaching the end of the main tourist season. Caterers and hoteliers are satisfied with the results so far, while in private accommodation they are below expectations, and they don’t even have good announcements for the postseason. However, they are not thinking about lowering prices.
Traffic jams on the busiest roads show that the main tourist season is at its peak, but not its results. Despite this, restaurateurs and hoteliers are satisfied with what has been achieved.
– We had a strong, good preseason. When it comes to this main part of the season, July and August, we had certain oscillations, inconsistency and it was very strange that we had good work for two or three days, then two or three days we didn’t, so there wasn’t that peak like in previous years that started on the 15th. July and lasted until August 25th – said Aleksandar Jovanović from the Hospitality Association.
For the first seven months, the Budva Riviera hotel group generated 94% more revenue compared to last year, i.e. 22 percent more than in 2019. When we talk about amounts, it is 6.3 million more than last year, or about 2 million more than in 2019. , said Jelena Kaluđerović from HG Budvanka Riviera.
The calculations of private accommodation providers, however, are somewhat different.
– We can say that occupancy is somewhere around 80% on the entire Montenegrin coast and varies from city to city. We simply need to provide availability so that we can fill those capacities – said Branka Džoganović from the Private Accommodation Association.
Thus, private accommodation, food, drinks and beach furniture are up to 30% more expensive in almost all tourist places compared to previous years. Those prices are not high for foreigners, but they are for locals and guests from certain countries of the region.
The fact that everyone can spend their summer in Montenegro at their own expense is our advantage, say tourism officials. However, they say that they cannot influence the prices, especially of food and drinks, while private accommodation here is already the most affordable on the Adriatic.
– Any lowering of prices cannot have an effect on us and colleagues from Croatia were 100 euros more expensive per day compared to accommodation in Montenegro. With us, the studio was 50, and with them it was up to 150 euros, so our colleagues from Croatia have room to lower the prices. We don’t have any announcements when it comes to the postseason, and I think that’s quite devastating – said Džoganović.
However, the announcements of hoteliers and restaurateurs are much better. Hotels will be full until October, so restaurateurs are also hoping for good markets. All that, they say, will not be enough for this season to be a record, as it was announced.
– In the end, the profit that will be realized will certainly be lower in some gross amount, i.e. the turnover that will be realized and will be at the level of 2019 or slightly stronger – said Jovanović.
– What is the record today compared to yesterday when you have a situation like the corona, when you have 2019 when there was no inflation like now. I can only claim in front of our company, as shown by the data, that this will be a fantastic year for us hoteliers and a year in which tourism is back in full swing – said Kaluđerović.
And we will see how many tourists will return to us next summer.
