Tourism in Montenegro as part of the program of economic reforms
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Tourism in Montenegro as part of the program of economic reforms
The main goal of Montenegro's economic development programs is to improve the quality of life of the population. Among the priority sectors, which should bring this goal closer, tourism comes first. In Montenegro, the direction of economic development is modeled on the European strategy "Europe 2020: the strategy of reasonable, sustainable and comprehensive growth", which has been in effect since 2010. The program is developed for the EU and the candidate countries in the EU.
Within the framework of this pan-European strategic document, Montenegro's economic reform program for 2013-2016 was developed. It confirmed the movement of the country to the European Union, but taking into account the crisis phenomena in the EU.
Later, in connection with the events at the regional and global level (apparently, we mean the Ukrainian-Russian crisis and its consequences), a reform program for 2015-2018 was adopted, in which the provisions of the previous program were adjusted. Develop plans for a longer period in Montenegro are feared because of the vague political and economic situation in the world.
Tourism in Montenegro is an original basis for the development of the economy, therefore, we estimate the effectiveness of the reform program of 2013-2016 in the tourism industry.
In 2014, 1.517.376 tourists visited Montenegro, which is 1.7% more than in 2013. Tourists left in the country 728.8 million euros, which is 1.08% more than in 2013. At that time tourism in Montenegro was approximately equally popular with Serbs and Russians: 24.5% of tourists came from Serbia, 24.3% from Russia. It can not be said that such indicators are satisfactory.
Among the shortcomings that impede the full development of tourism in Montenegro as an effective sector of the economy: a pronounced seasonal nature, underestimation of the potential of the northern territories and their poor accessibility, weak investment in existing tourist facilities, indifferent attitude of local government to tourism, non-standardized tourist services, distance from the main tourist routes, poor infrastructure, import dependence and other negative factors. Obviously, many problems are beyond the scope of the tourism industry.
Tourism in Montenegro can not reach a decent level due to the absence of high-class hotels. The established type of rest does not contribute to investing in this industry.
How do tourists imagine tourism in Montenegro? It is estimated that in 2014, 72.4% of visitors came to enjoy passive recreation, 41% to entertain themselves in every way, 31.9% visited Montenegro in search of adventure. But these tourists on average spent here for 6 days and spent about 62 euros a day.
The relationship is clear: there are few high-class hotels, few and truly wealthy tourists. The inverse relationship is also obvious ...
The state here intends to act as a driver of change. Among the measures that should attract investors to the hotel business: a reduction in VAT, exemption from payment of property tax for 10 years, exemption from income tax and personal income tax for 10 years, a reduction in personal income to 50%, for 10 years, subsidizing interest rates at the level of 3 - 4% for investment in hotels, maturity from 15 to 25 years, grace period for a loan of two years, exemption from payment of taxes on the supply of water. As a result, after 20 years in Montenegro, 76 4-5-star hotels should be built. But whether thanks to this tourism in Montenegro will come to a new level - a big question.
Apparently, within the framework of the program, during 2015 it is planned to significantly advance in the construction of Porton (Herceg Novi Cumbor) - lay the foundation for the hotel, deepen the bottom for the marina; By the end of this year, the first phase of the Crystal Riviera (Petrovac) construction has to be completed; By the same time it is planned to complete the construction of the main facilities of Hilton (Podgorica); Porto Montenegro (Tivat) at the end of 2015 should have 455 berths.
How is tourism developing in Montenegro this year? To date, there are statistics on tourism for the first half. Between January and June 2015, 390174 tourists visited Montenegro, which is approximately 12% more than in the same period last year (APPG). Every month half of 2015 in Montenegro, tourists arrived a little more than the APPG. In June, 45,362 tourists arrived from Russia to Montenegro, which is 27% of all tourists; 32 021 tourists - from Serbia, 19.6%. Relatively many come to Montenegro from Poland, France, Ukraine, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Of some countries, tourists in the first half of 2015 was less (although not much less than a year ago).
Was the growth of the number of Russian tourists a quick result of the reform program, while it is difficult to say. In Russia, turbulent events are taking place, which are likely to have a much greater impact on the flow of tourists than any reforms within Montenegro. In particular, if Montenegro's Russian tourist flow has increased, in general the number of Russian tourists traveling abroad in the first half of 2015 decreased by 40% to APPG. In the next half-year, as our invaluable Russian experience suggests, everything can be on the contrary, or at all. Considering whether the possibility of a sharp reduction in the flow of tourists from Russia to Montenegro, that's the question.
The material is prepared on the basis of the following resources:
http://www.monstat.org/cg/page.php?id=1295&pageid=44
http://www.gov.me/vijesti/146546/Program-ekonomskih-reformi-2015-2017.html
Evgeny Novozhilov
#EvgenyNovozhilov
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