Focus
MONTENEGRO 2022
ECONOMY
READ THIS ON WEB
24
TOURISM AND A STEP FURTHER The Montenegrin economy has relied on tourism and construction for years, but recently it has made strides towards being more sustainable and bridging the gap with the leading global economies
hirty years ago, Montenegro declared itself an "ecological state", w h i ch i n p ra c t i c e should have meant abandoning the then-dominant practice of turning a former socialist country into a highly industrialized one, regardless of pollution. So, the idea was to have as few toxic factories, mines and polluted water and air as possible, and enjoy pure nature as much as possible, to the satisfaction of Montenegrins and guests of Montenegro. Unfortunately, the wars and sanctions that followed defined Montenegro as a tourism destination (summer and to a lesser extent winter tourism), and a commerce country with a developed real estate construction. This is not an unusual path, because it was also
T
followed by many other current EU members, such as Spain in the 1970s and 80s, then Cyprus, Malta and Greece, but also Israel and Lebanon, which are not in Europe, but followed the so-called Mediterranean growth and development pattern. At some point, when there
THE AGILE PRIME MINISTER DRITAN ABAZOVIĆ OPENED SOME DOORS IN TOURISM THAT HAD NOT BEEN OPENED BEFORE
