30 June 2008 | Montenegro is declining as a summer destination for tourists from Serbia, while the Greek islands and the Chalkidiki Penninsula draw Serbs and Bulgarians en masse.

The coastal and mountain resorts of Montenegro, according to the Serbian newspaper Blic, are failing to attract tourists from Serbia and the number of unoccupied hotel rooms is significantly higher than it was at the same time last year. The reasons for the decline, according to the publication, include the higher service prices, the introduction of an eco tax, transportation’s high prices and the poor roads.

Meanwhile, Montenegro’s tourism ministry told Blic that the higher prices’ aim is to limit the flow of tourists and attract only those with larger financial means.

In turn, the Serbs – accompanied by many Bulgarians, chose to spend their summer holidays in Greece en masse, attracted by the low-priced tourist packages. According to the Greek newspaper Imersia, their preferred destinations are the islands of Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, Zakynthos and the Chalkidiki Penninsula.

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