Following the successful completion of a Balkan Hotel Market Access Program, independent travellers exploring the Balkans can now research, plan and book their trips online through locally owned and operated travel websites.

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The Stari Most (Old Bridge) of Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, spans the Neretva River. Originally built during the Ottoman era, it was destroyed during the Bosnian-Herzegovian War and then rebuilt according to the old design and using as much of the recovered original stone as possible. The bridge and surrounding historic neighbourhoods are now a World Heritage Site.

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Posted under Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, General, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, countries, media, responsible travel, whl.travel news, whl.travel newsletter

By Christina Heyniger

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This article was first published by our friends at Off the Radar, who have agreed to its republication here. View the original article on their blog.

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The tourism scene in Montenegro is still mainly focused on the country’s gorgeous coastline, where boats and beachgoers flock to the sparkling Adriatic Sea. But the government is now trying to find ways to bring responsible, sustainable tourism and nature-travelers into the country’s northern areas, hoping to extend the economic benefits of tourism to more remote areas, without trashing the place in the process.

Hiking in the Prokletije Mountains of eastern Montenegro. Photo courtesy of Montenegro Adventures

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Posted under General, Montenegro, countries, local tips, responsible organisations, responsible travel

Keeping Montenegro Pristine

Using Sustainable Tourism to Get Back on the Map

By Ethan Gelber

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I’m always favourably surprised by how many people have heard of Montenegro. For such a Lilliputian nation, it seems to have outsized celebrity, although, sadly, still seldom as a place worthy of holiday consideration. Having been an attractive vacation retreat as recently as the 1980s, Montenegro until just a few years ago had fallen off the radar as a tourist destination for anyone outside the region. Despite remaining more or less aloof during the Balkan hostilities of the 1990s, Montenegro’s tourist infrastructure and reputation suffered as did the entire region’s: gutted by a decade of flying bullets and political barbs.

Montenegro Adventures and Green Visions guides atop Bobotov Kuk

Today, however, Montenegro is at last reaching new travel audiences. Unlike some of its neighbours – Montenegro shares borders with Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Albania – Montenegro declared its independence in 2006 without its armed forces firing a shot, which sent a clear positive message to travellers. Even before then Montenegro had felt free to pursue an agenda that included redeveloping tourism assets and services throughout the country.

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Posted under General, Montenegro, countries, responsible organisations, responsible travel, whl.travel newsletter