The Center for Tourism Research and Development (CIRT) has addressed the negative narratives circulating in Montenegro about the country’s key economic sector—tourism. They emphasize that tourism is highly sensitive to social, economic and environmental instability, which has been evident following the early-year incident in Cetinje that severely impacted Montenegro’s tourism.
CIRT stresses the importance of responsible and objective public communication about tourism statistics, pointing out that international travel and arrivals in Europe rose by 4.9% in Q1 2025 compared to 2024, with overnight stays increasing by 2.2%. Montenegro saw a 3.54% increase in foreign tourist arrivals in Q1 2025 compared to the previous year, although overnight stays dropped by 10.1%. This discrepancy is largely due to the inclusion of Russian and Ukrainian citizens fleeing war, who heavily influenced tourism statistics in 2023 but have been leaving Montenegro, causing a statistical drop in 2024 and 2025.
Specifically, Russian visitors decreased by nearly 50,000 arrivals and one million overnight stays in 2024 compared to 2023, with a further drop of 115,681 overnight stays in Q1 2025 versus 2024. Most of this decline occurred in private accommodation. When excluding these groups, Montenegro’s tourism trends show growth, supported by increased border crossings, more visitors in national parks, and a 1.58% rise in airport passengers in early 2025.
The composition of tourists is changing, with strong growth from non-European markets, particularly China (+95%) and Israel (+915%) in Q1 2025, although their stays tend to be shorter (e.g., average 1.5 days for Chinese tourists). Meanwhile, arrivals from key Western European and Scandinavian markets have decreased.
Regarding tourism revenue, distorted statistics have influenced reported income. Central Bank data shows Q1 2023 tourism revenue was 150% higher than the record year 2019, largely due to the influx of Russian and Ukrainian migrants classified as tourists. Revenue has since declined but remains 86% higher than Q1 2019.
From 2010 to 2019, Montenegro’s tourism revenue grew by an average of 9.9% annually, nearly doubling over a decade.
Looking ahead to the upcoming summer season, CIRT expects positive results supported by a predicted 25% increase in passenger traffic at Tivat Airport and strong bookings in collective accommodations. However, infrastructure challenges and ongoing roadworks may cause traffic congestion, negatively affecting visitor satisfaction and residents.
CIRT also highlights the need for better organization and marketing of the individual accommodation sector to fill growing capacity, calling for more serious attention from responsible institutions in the future.
