Montenegro’s Adriatic gem struggles with tourist influx

KOTOR, Montenegro: A UNESCO World Heritage Site nestled on the edge of a picturesque Adriatic bay, the town of Kotor in Montenegro is struggling to cope with a surge in tourism that is clogging its narrow streets and raising environmental concerns.

Many visitors arrive on the hundreds of boats, yachts, and cruise ships that dock daily in Kotor’s harbour, leading some people to call for a hike in the 1-euro ($1.09) fee that visitors from cruise ships are charged to enter the town.

The number of annual cruise ship arrivals has risen steadily over the past decade, with about 500 expected this year. On Wednesday alone, four cruise ships carrying about 5,000 tourists moored in the town, which featured in the 2006 James Bond film ‘Casino Royale’.

While tourism contributes roughly a quarter of Montenegro’s economic output, Kotor’s 23,000 inhabitants are feeling the strain.

“Traffic jams are huge,” said Doris Dajkovic, who works in a local souvenir shop.

A series of protests against excessive tourism has erupted in leading European destinations this year, including Venice in Italy, Barcelona in Spain and Santorini in Greece.

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Local people say too many visitors drive up housing costs, pricing residents out of the market, and cause congestion and other environmental problems.

“The life of our neighbours is becoming increasingly difficult during the tourist season,” said Jovan Ristic, director of the local tourist organisation, who backs an increase in the cruise ship visitor fee.

“All similar tourist destinations are working on reducing or selecting passenger ships and seriously collecting excursion fees,” Ristic added.

In a world first, Venice introduced a 5-euro ($5.44) charge in April for daytrippers arriving on particularly congested days, hoping the levy would deter some people from visiting.

The surge in mass tourism is also taking a toll on the local marine environment.

“Such a number of cruisers requires a study to determine the maximum environmental load,” said Milica Mandic, a scientific advisor at Montenegro’s Institute of Marine Biology.

In neighbouring Croatia, the UNESCO-listed resort of Dubrovnik introduced a “Respect The City” plan in 2017, capping the number of cruise visitors to 4,000 at any given time.