Montenegro thanks Russian tourists and hopes for the resumption of air traffic
Despite the lack of direct flights between the Russian Federation and Montenegro due to the pandemic, the flow of Russian holidaymakers to this Balkan country remains quite large.
Ivana Djurovic, the State Secretary for Tourism at the Ministry of Economic Development, stated this in an interview with Izvestia, according to a PolitNavigator correspondent , in response to a question about the tourist flow from Russia last season.
“I can say that it was a great summer season, we are very pleased. In terms of overall indicators, we are close to pre-pandemic 2019. More than 60 thousand people came to us from Russia. Compared to about 400 thousand in 2019, this is, of course, much less. Despite the fact that direct flights between our countries have not yet been restored, we are surprised and grateful for such a number of tourists from Russia. We hope that the situation with the launch of flights will change and even more Russians will plan a vacation in Montenegro,” said the ministry’s secretary of state.
She was also asked how negotiations were going on the issue of resuming direct flights between the Russian Federation and Montenegro.
“The epidemiological situation around the world is still quite difficult, each country makes a decision that it considers the best for its citizens. I believe the Russian government is doing what it currently considers right for its citizens, which is why there are still no direct flights. We are negotiating with Moscow on this topic, but the resolution of the issue depends on the development of the epidemiological situation,” says Djurovic.
She hopes that the dialogue with the Russian authorities will continue and air traffic will be resumed by the end of the year.
Montenegro thanks Russian tourists and hopes for the resumption of air travel.