The Tivat Riviera received 171,620 tourists in the first nine months of 2026, an 18% increase from the same period a year earlier, the Municipality of Tivat and Tivat Tourism Organization reported at a conference on 28 October 2026. At the same conference, the season was assessed as the best in about a decade, despite infrastructure and space constraints.
Visitors recorded 1,319,764 overnight stays between January and September, 7% more than in the first nine months of 2025. Željko Komnenović, president of the Municipality of Tivat and the tourism organization, said the figures showed the town had positioned itself as an important Adriatic destination.
Tourism income and visitor markets
The tourism organization recorded 820,976 euros in combined revenue from the tourist tax, tourist fee and membership contribution in the first nine months of 2026, a 5% increase from the same period a year earlier. Revenue from the tourist tax on vessels used for nautical tourism reached 51,204 euros, up 6% from the previous year.
Director Nina Lakičević said Tivat was missing substantial revenue from nautical tourism because current laws allow the tourist tax to be collected per vessel, rather than from each guest arriving in the town by yacht. The amount collected on vessels increased year on year, but the legal basis for charging the tax remained a constraint on collecting it from individual yacht visitors.
Visitors from Serbia and Russia were the largest groups by arrivals, with the United Kingdom ranking third. Komnenović linked the number of British visitors to good air connections between Tivat Airport and several cities in the United Kingdom.
By overnight stays, the largest foreign visitor groups came from Serbia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Ukraine, Turkey, the United States, Croatia and France. Lakičević said the guest mix showed a diversification of markets, with visitor numbers rising from Western Europe, Scandinavia, central Europe and other Middle Eastern destinations linked to Tivat by seasonal air routes.
Tourists from the United States entered Tivat’s top 10 source markets for the first time. Lakičević associated their arrival with direct flights from the United States to nearby Dubrovnik and visits to Tivat by several smaller luxury cruise ships, whose passengers were predominantly American.
Survey respondents spent more than 200 euros a day on average, including accommodation, and stayed for an average of 7.69 days. About 90% said they would recommend Tivat to others and return, while 60% said they would definitely come back for a holiday.
About two-thirds of the tourists surveyed had arrived by air. The attractions most often cited were natural scenery and surroundings, the hospitality of local hosts, and the town’s picturesque and well-maintained appearance.
The highest ratings went to the overall impression of the stay, the cleanliness and upkeep of beaches, and organised excursions in the surrounding area. Road traffic on the Tivat Riviera, activities for children and the safety of swimmers at beaches received the lowest ratings.
Infrastructure and airport capacity
Komnenović said the tourism organization’s revenue had increased from the previous year and that digital promotion, rather than traditional appearances at tourism fairs, had proved the right approach. The Municipality of Tivat also financed accommodation and meals for additional police officers sent to the town for seasonal work, donating the money to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The officers came from other cities in Montenegro and were assigned to seasonal duties in Tivat, primarily in the Border Police department at Tivat Airport. Komnenović said the municipality’s spending showed that state agencies needed to pay more attention to the needs and functioning of the sector.
Tivat hosted a two-day European Union and Western Balkans summit in early June, attended by political leaders from Europe and neighbouring countries. Komnenović described it as the biggest and most important political event held in Montenegro’s history and said it had generated positive media and promotional exposure for the town.
He said the effects of the 2026 season would be difficult to repeat in the coming period, although Tivat would try. Outdated and inadequate public infrastructure, particularly roads, continued to constrain the season, he added.
Tivat Airport Director Ivan Rakočević described the summer as the airport’s most successful and most demanding season in its history, with operations taking place in limited space. He forecast that the airport would handle between 10% and 11% more passengers by the end of 2026 than in 2019, and at least 5% more aircraft movements than in that record year.
The winter IATA season was expected to be better than the previous winter, with Air Montenegro and Air Serbia set to increase rotations on routes to Belgrade. Air Montenegro had announced winter flights between Tivat and Istanbul, while FlyOne Armenia planned to connect Tivat with Yerevan.
During the summer, Tivat Airport handled traditional and national airlines as well as charter and leisure carriers, Rakočević said. British Airways operated in Montenegro for the first time in 2026, flying twice a week between London Heathrow and Tivat.
For the next summer season, British Airways plans to increase the route to seven flights a week, up from two, making it a daily service. Rakočević said the plan reflected the airline’s satisfaction with airport handling and passenger numbers on its first route to Montenegro.
