According to official data, 90.8 %of the tourists coming to Montenegro in July were foreign nationals, while the rate of domestic tourists was 9.2 %. This emphasizes that the country’s tourism sector is largely dependent on foreign external and the importance of strategies to increase its competitiveness in international markets.
Serbia was the biggest share of foreign tourists with 19.1 %. This was followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina with 6.2 %, Poland with 4.4 %, France with 3.8 %and Germany with 3.6 %. These data show that Montenegro continues to be an attractive destination, especially for visitors from the Balkans and Central European countries.
Popular Holiday Regions
The majority of visitors preferred the coastal towns of Montenegro at a rate of 92.9 %. The capital Podgorica ranked second with a 3.7 %share, while mountain holiday villages ranked third at a rate of 2.2 %. These preferences show that Montenegro is a strong destination in terms of sea, sun and sand tourism and that mountain tourism has not yet reached the desired level.
Economic effects and future expectations
The tourism sector continues to be an important part of the Montenegrin economy. In the first half of 2025, the total number of tourists increased by 6.3 %to 940,800, while the number of overnight decreased by 5.4 %to 4.83 million. This shows that although the number of visitors increases, the accommodation periods are shortened and therefore the economic contribution is limited.
Experts say that this trend is particularly related to structural problems such as high tax rates and unregistered accommodation. For example, the increase in VAT rate from 7 %to 15 %in hotel accommodation directed some businesses to special accommodation options. In addition, unregistered accommodation is estimated to be responsible for the loss of approximately 86 million euros to the state in 2025.
Connections between Türkiye and Montenegro
Türkiye stands out as one of the important tourist resource countries of Montenegro. The close geographical location and cultural similarities between the two countries make it easier for Turkish tourists to choose Montenegro. Especially in the summer months, Turkish tourists show great interest in the coastal towns of Montenegro. This contributes to the arrangements of Turkish travel agencies for the arrangement of tours to Montenegro and the strengthening of tourism relations between the two countries.
With the increase in tourists in July 2025, Montenegro has once again proved its vitality and international charm in the tourism sector. However, the decrease in overnight and structural problems lead to limited economic contribution. In order to ensure sustainable growth in the tourism sector of Montenegro, it is important to implement strategies such as combating unregistered accommodation, reviewing tax policies and increasing infrastructure investments.
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