This year, the season starts much earlier, so guests in Ulcinj already arrive today and fill up Azul Beach Resort by Karisma on the Velika beach.
As the sales director of that complex, Aleksandra Đakonović, told Pobjeda, for the first time since last year, they have been operating 365 days and successfully. Already today, 100 pensioners from Scandinavia and Great Britain are coming, and from February 24, there will be constant groups of 600 or more guests from these markets, which will change every seven days until June 4, when the rush hour begins. Đakonović stated that it is realistic that the season in Montenegro can last the whole year.
– We have signed a very significant contract with a partner from Turkey, which fills our accommodation capacities from October 3 to December 3, in question are guests from Western Europe. We also now have guests from Scandinavia and Great Britain who fill our capacities to the peak – said Đakonović.
There are few hotels that are open all year round, but, as he states, with good promotion and cooperation with travel agencies and tour operators, it seems that this will also change.
– Congress tourism, business and other events and gatherings are an opportunity that Ulcinj is slowly but surely seizing and becoming recognizable by. From February 19 to the first Sunday of June, we will have guests from Scandinavia and Great Britain, very good guests, but also demanding ones – announced Đakonović.
According to her, they will be accommodated for seven days and have six weekly flights to Tivat.
– The guests will take turns for seven days. We expect it to be like this until the first Sunday of June, when we fill the complex with Czechs and Poles – said Đakonović.
She emphasized that they are slowly coming out of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
– The 2020 and 2021 seasons were good for us, and the last one was a record in everything. We managed to recover from the corona solidly – claims Đakonović.
As she said, last year from May 20 to October 3, more rooms were requested and all capacities were sold out.
– In the pre- and post-season, we had a lot of groups from the region and Eastern Europe, and already at the end of the season, the partner from Turkey filled the capacity with guests from Germany. These are mostly pensioners – said Đakonović.
As for the main part of the season, they already have signed contracts based on a fixed lease.
– It was already finished at the beginning of October last year. These are partners from Eastern Europe – Poland and the Czech Republic. They are our most numerous guests, followed by West Germany. These are partners who have charter lines four or five times a week, and we have long-term cooperation with them. With the Poles since 2018, and as for the Czechs, they started with airlines last year. They worked through Air Montenegro, and this year they will have their own charter lines from Brno and Prague to Podgorica, and they will fill capacity during the main season, which is from mid-May to the end of September – explained Đakonović.
It will also have special offers, as It claims, for the domestic market and the region.
– We will adjust the prices to these markets according to their budgets. There will be an offer for a day ticket where they can spend the whole day in the complex using all the pools, the beach and the restaurant and it will be at an affordable price – added Đakonović.
As for the workforce, Đakonović pointed out that they employ as many as 350 workers in the season, while around 120 are permanently employed.
– As for the labor force, we have “locals” who work every year, but we have a certain number of labor force from abroad, mainly from Serbia and Bosnia – Đakonović concluded.