Tourism in the Boka Kotorska Bay

Abstract

The Boka Kotorska Bay has extraordinary natural and cultural preconditions for tourism development. The natural and cultural potential favoured early tourism development in the Boka Kotorska that dates back to the early nineteenth century. The Boka Kotorska is the first holiday and cruising destination in Montenegro. Further intensive tourism development had a strong effect on economy and landscape of the Boka. There are three distinct stages in tourism development in the Boka Kotorska: initial development until the WW II (1939?), the period of intensive development from the WW II (1945) until 1990s and the period from 1990s until today. The Master Plan tourism development strategy of Montenegro by 2020, setting the development guidelines for the Boka Kotorska, stands out as a separate entity. Nevertheless, in the mass tourism era, the tourism development in the Boka Kotorska Bay is burdened by a pronounced seasonal character, unfavourable structure of accommodation facilities and unsatisfactory tourism infrastructure. Analysis of the current developmental strategies and ongoing projects shows some inconsistency. The investments planned favour big mixed-purpose projects with a pronounced residential component, which is not in accordance with the tourism development plans adopted. The Boka Kotorska Bay, UNESCO’s Heritage Site, is one of the most important tourist regions in Montenegro. It is predisposed for development of specific tourism forms, such as nautical, cultural, health, sports, incentive and congress tourism, special interest tourism and others. At the same time, bathing, holiday tourism remains an important segment of the tourist offer of the Boka Kotorska Bay.