This event, held on June 6th and 7th this year in Sarajevo, brought together international leaders in tourism intending to explore innovations that will drive sustainable growth in the tourism and travel sector. The focus was on ensuring the sector's safety and maximizing benefits for local economies and communities.
Snežana Pekić, a member of the NTO Executive Board, participated in a panel titled “Western Balkans – The Last Untouched Destinations to Discover.” In her presentation, she emphasized the importance of tourism to Montenegro's economy. Pekić discussed the expected increase in the tourism industry's contribution to Montenegro's GDP, highlighting significant hotel investments by major global brands in the mountain resort of Kolašin as well as along the coast. She also mentioned the government's strategic commitment to developing infrastructure, especially in the northern part of the country, to encourage further tourism development and cooperation with neighboring countries. Additionally, she stressed the importance of regional cooperation and promoting Montenegro in long-haul markets through membership in the European Travel Commission (ETC) and joint activities.
The Resilience and Innovation Summit provides a unique platform for developing new opportunities and networking local stakeholders with global leaders from the USA, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and other parts of the world. At this prestigious gathering, representatives from major international brands such as Turkish Airlines, Mastercard, Gadventures, Travelzoo, Oxford Economics, and others shared their valuable experiences and best practices with local and international participants, officials, and the media.
The summit provided a unique opportunity for exchanging ideas, creating new business opportunities, and strengthening cooperation among various stakeholders in the tourism sector, to enhance resilience and innovation as key elements for future growth and development. NTOs participation in this summit once again confirmed Montenegro's commitment to sustainable tourism development and improving its tourism offerings. This will undoubtedly contribute to further positioning Montenegro as an attractive and safe tourist destination on the global stage.
The event was organized by the United States Government through the USAID Tourism Development Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in collaboration with partners from the Global Travel & Tourism Resilience Council and Travolution.
