In the first seven months of 2026, Montenegro experienced a modest increase in tourism, with a total of 859,451 tourist arrivals in collective accommodation, marking a 1.5% rise compared to the previous year. Overnight stays also saw an uptick of 2.4% to 2.94 million, according to preliminary data from the national statistics office, Monstat. However, this overall growth conceals significant disparities among different coastal municipalities.
Notably, Bar and Herceg Novi reported strong performance with double-digit growth, while more established tourist hubs such as Budva, Kotor, and Tivat experienced declines. The figures encompass various forms of collective accommodation including hotels and resorts but do not account for privately rented accommodations, which are a vital part of Montenegro’s tourism landscape.
The increase in foreign visitors was a key contributor to this growth, with arrivals rising by 1.9% to 761,269. In contrast, domestic tourist numbers fell by 1.8% to 98,182. Foreign tourists accounted for 2.59 million overnight stays, a rise of 3%, while domestic visitors contributed 349,764 nights, representing a decrease of 1.7%.
Serbia remained the dominant source market for foreign visitors, generating 507,985 overnight stays. Other significant markets included the United Kingdom with 221,470, Germany with 155,472, France with 154,297, and Poland with 146,302.
The distribution of tourism demand across Montenegro is increasingly uneven. While coastal destinations collectively recorded approximately 2.59 million overnight stays, an increase of 2.6%, individual municipalities showed varied results. Bar achieved around 303,719 overnight stays, reflecting an increase of about 13.1%, and Herceg Novi reported 506,198 nights, up about 11.3%. Ulcinj also saw growth with 221,148 overnight stays, increasing by 2.2%.
The data suggest a shift in tourism dynamics within Montenegro, as areas outside traditional resort centers gain traction. Despite Budva remaining the largest organized tourism destination in the country with approximately 1.26 million overnight stays, it faced a slight decline of about 1.1%. This decline is notable given Budva’s significant role in national tourism revenue and employment.
Kotor experienced a more pronounced drop with overnight stays decreasing by around 4.5% to 173,074. Tivat also saw a decline of approximately 2.8%, totaling 123,977 nights. These contrasting trends indicate that the current tourism season is characterized more by shifts in demand rather than uniform growth across all regions.
The mountain destinations showed resilience with an increase of 13.3% to 98,459 overnight stays, while other tourist locations recorded a rise of 12.1% to 61,459 nights. Conversely, Podgorica experienced a downturn with overnight stays falling by 8.9% to 180,792.
The month of July alone demonstrated stronger national growth compared to earlier months in 2026. During this period, Montenegro recorded 244,754 arrivals and 1.081 million overnight stays, which were about 4.4% and 3.9% higher than the same month last year respectively.
The data indicate that while Montenegro is on track for overall tourism growth in 2026, the nature of this expansion may have critical implications for stakeholders in the industry. As Budva, Kotor, and Tivat face challenges while Bar and Herceg Novi thrive at double-digit rates, attention will likely shift towards factors such as length of stay and visitor spending rather than solely focusing on arrival numbers.
