Strengthen mountain tourism

Podgorica - advisor in the famous American organization National Geographic Simon Jones has evaluated that Montenegro has to direct its funds to the development of mountain tourism, because that type of tourist offer will make a boom in the next 5 to 10 years.

Jones, who works for the company “Solimar International” from Washington and has a great experience in the area of tourism, thinks that Montenegrin tourist workers are not aware of the potential of the mountain tourism and how much profit they can get from that.

However, I can see that beginning steps are being made, and those slowly small enterprises, NGO’s and public sector are beginning to unify in the goal of attracting foreign tourists. Even though Montenegro has large possibilities for the development of the mountain tourism, its first problem is the fact it doesn’t advertise the information about the places that are important for the mountain tourism - said for “Vijesti” Jones.

According to his opinion, other problem is connection of the tourist product and connection of local tourist places with tour operators.

-What is very important in promotion of mountain tourism is the connection of coastal tourism with the mountain tourism. 25 % of tourists come to the coast and they should be offered some other tourist services, like rafting mountain climbing, and hiking. That is why the tourist potentials in Montenegro should be connected - said Jones.

He pointed out that in the goal of promotion of the mountain tourism small hotels, and cottages should be built, where tourists can spend most of their time.

When tourists come to Montenegro, and they wish to have some extra activities like rafting or touring of some mountain area, you must not allow them that the moment they come, they call the tour operator to organize them those activities. They should get that in package and all in one place - said Jones.

He reminded that sometimes tourism is developing uncontrollably and that was the case in Montenegro, so that is why it is necessary to precise what kind of tourist market and offer we wish to achieve.

In Montenegro you have to take care of the connection of small businesses and entrepreneurs. When tourists come to Montenegro, they are coming in center points and those are stronger tourist centers like National Park “Durmitor” or National Park “Tara”.
Those center points should be connected with small surrounding places of which tourists do not have information, and which can be very interesting. Activities like mountain climbing and rafting that are taking place in the national parks and around them are the activities that are generating the incomes in the mountain tourism - explained Jones.

As a good example of the development of the mountain tourism Jones stated the National Park Yosemite in the USA where tourists can stay in little cottages, which are a kind of mountain homes, and which were built for the needs of the mountain climbers and hunters by themselves.

They are rearranged to give the possibility of the accommodation of tourists who are coming to visit the National Park, those are very popular simple cottages, with only few beds and a wood stove. That is not luxurious, and you have the possibility of staying in some kind of a “wild accommodation”. To those cottages you can come solely by mountain climbing - said Jones.

J. Zugic