Tourism is a very important activity for the economy of Montenegro, so infrastructure development is essential for the growth of the sector and new development.
This blog post will be focused on managing the tourism infrastructure development in Montenegro.
The question is: What we need to do to sustainably develop our tourism infrastucture?
Infrastructure, including air, ground, port and tourism services like hotels and car rental services, plays a vital role in tourism competitiveness, serving as `the arteries` of the industry. And from a global perspective, infrastructure continues to improve. How countries deal with their infrastructure is a crutial factor in their long term tourism competititveness. Montenegro with its airports and roads may face challenges under growing utiliy=zation, which may lead to issues related to quality.
In order for a destination to be in conditions that allow its population to develop as an active society, the base is the infrastructure in general. Meanwhile, the tourism infrastructure must be strategically planned with plans and procedures that will lead to the sustainable development of tourism, in such a way that the visitors enjoy and feel comfortable according to the facilities or services that they require.
Infrastructure in destination. Source: The lazy artist, Pexels.com
`Tourism must be a national priority not only as a discourse, but as a reality at the highest level of government.` Firstly, Montenegro has to have its main goal when it comes to the development of tourism infrastructure and it has to show that we need to strengthen the processes of planning, management, evaluation and monitoring of projects related to development of sustainable tourism infrastructure that responds coherently to the needs of local territories and populations, then striving for efficient articulation with other institutions that promote strategic infrastructure for the country. Then, we need to make more specific goals that will help us reach the main goal. We need to increase the tecnical capacity for the management of tourism infrastructure projects, then, to implement tourism infrastructure planning strategies to the tourism vocation of the territories and the needs of the tourism sector, to make financial mechanism easier for investment in tourism infrastructure, to strenghten cooperation between institutions to support infrastructure for tourism, to promote innovative mechanisms for smart tourism infrastructure and, finally, to implement necessary actions that consolidate sustainable tourism infrastructure.
Where to start?
Start by identifying what is needed to make current tourism sector more sustainable and what might also be needed for any project or desired growth in visitor numbers. There is no point having unachivable goals, but if the current or future demand exceeds the capability of the current infrastructure, then something has to give. It may mean some form of control to manage numbers, or the need of new infrastructure, what will be the case in Montenegro.
Tourism infrastrucrure in Montenegro needs to be improved to meet the increasing demands of tourists and ensure a satisfying experience. Investment in tourism infrastructure is essential to improve the accessibility and attractiveness of Montenegrin tourist destinations.
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Author: Marija Lazarevic, MSc
CEO and Executive consultant
MariXperience LTD
Sources:
- World Economic Forum, If you build it, they will come, article, 2019
- Hosteltur, What challenges does tourism face in Spain?, article, 2023
