Montenegro named a top destination for tourism

29/05/2006

US Travel & Leisure magazine has named Montenegro as one of the hot spots for vacationers this year. Podgorica's campaign to attract tourists could pay off this summer.

By Antonela Arhin for Southeast European Times – 29/05/06

US Travel & Leisure magazine has named Montenegro one of this year's hot destinations. [Travel & Leisure]

Travelling to Europe has grown progressively in the last few years, and the trend is expected to increase this year as well. After being named a top destination for travel, Montenegro is planning for a summer influx of tourists.

US Travel & Leisure magazine has named Montenegro one of this year's hot destinations, saying that its "untouched white sandy beaches and time-capsule medieval villages place it among the most interesting tourism destinations". Though travel to Los Angeles, Orlando, New York and Las Vegas is always popular, an article published on CNN.com says the top three travel destinations for 2006 are Colorado, China and Croatia -- but they face tough competition from Montenegro, Minneapolis and Mongolia.

The Travel & Leisure article calls Montenegro one of the up-and-coming destinations for the year. Following are Minneapolis, Mongolia, Gabon, Eleuthera and the Bahamas. The magazine says that while the world has discovered Croatia, Montenegro is still largely "a well-kept secret", which wasn't always this way. "The country once attracted Hollywood stars such as Sophia Loren and Richard Burton to its 183-mile Adriatic Coast. However, the Iron Curtain and conflicts following the breakup of Yugoslavia kept many visitors at bay," the magazine says.

Canadian tour operator Butterfield & Robinson, which describes its goal as creating one-of-a-kind journeys for active people who want to see the world a little differently, recently added Montenegro to a yacht-based trip from Athens to Dubrovnik, the so called Journey Through Three Seas.

The country's wine region is attracting a lot of attention as well, with cabernets that have been included on the wine lists at top restaurants. Local specialties such as fresh mussels, broiled lobsters and organic vegetables also attract attention.

Montenegro's increasing international reputation as a popular destination does not come as a surprise to those at the ministry of tourism, who view this as a direct result of an encompassing promotion; their presence at the international tourism fair TOP RESA in Deauville, France, in September 2005, coupled with Japanese and French journalists' visits to Montenegro and the intensive promotional campaign via CNN and EuroNews.

The ministry plans to continue its campaign, which started last year to position Montenegro as a tourist destination and to continue the rapid sustainable development. The promotional campaign entitled "Experience Wild Beauty" began in last July will continue through the end of this year.