Although the bathing season on the coast has already begun, many beaches are still not fully prepared. According to hoteliers, preparations have been delayed due to the recently concluded tender for leases. However, with significant effort and the involvement of more workers, some beaches have already set up furniture, arranged parking areas, and prepared restaurants.
“We’ve already completed a large part of the work. Of course, we had to include more workers than usual because the tenders started later than in previous years. So, we organized the preparation of parking spaces, campsites, restaurants, and beaches, bringing them to a commendable level,” says Džavid Hodžić from the Association of Lessees at Velika Plaža.
At other locations, according to Hodžić, the situation is different as lessees are still waiting for a response from the authorities regarding whether Arab investor Muhamed Alabar will transfer the business to them, as promised.
“We are waiting for a response from the Public Enterprise Morsko Dobro and the Ministry of Finance on how the situation will proceed. His company was granted the management of nine beaches, but from what I know, they will withdraw. So, the bank guarantees related to Mr. Alabar’s company will have to be taken over,” Hodžić explains.
The situation was confusing even before the tender, due to elections in some municipalities and poor road infrastructure, says Rade Ratković, a professor at the Faculty of Business and Tourism in Budva.
“Before this, the state should have been engaged in connecting hotels and networking them around June, July, and August last year to better prepare for organized tourism,” Ratković points out.
Professor Ratković warns that the “silent decline” of Montenegrin tourism continues.
“Short seasons still dominate. During these short seasons, competitive salaries cannot be offered, and stable business operations are not possible. This continues a dangerous process of the silent decline of tourism, which is further aided by mass construction of apartments for secondary residence,” Ratković adds.
Despite the delays, hoteliers in Budva are confident that the season will be saved, according to Ilija Armenko, a hotelier from Budva. However, he believes the summer won’t be as profitable for hoteliers.
“Taxes are enormous, so I think we will manage as we do every year. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, if we have five days of rain and five days of waves, we’ll be left with only 30 days,” Armenko concludes.
Tourism professionals are encouraged by the good turnout during the May Day holidays. It is estimated that over 30,000 tourists are currently staying in Budva. It is still unclear how many lessees have signed contracts with Morsko Dobro. Earlier, the company announced that 90% of the beaches would be leased by the start of the summer season.
