Montenegro is to open its first tourism office in London in a bid to encourage UK visitors after the devastating impact of the two wars in the former Yugoslavia.
International visitor numbers slumped by 50% this year to an all-time low and, although tour operators from other European countries are beginning to reintroduce the state to their programmes, the UK has yet to return.
The republic’s minister for tourism Vladimir Mitrovic said: “Because of the Kosovo war we have had our worst year since tourism began.
“It was even worse than 1979 when we had an earthquake strike the area.”
The first task for the manager of the new London office will be to forge stronger links with UK operators to reassure them that Montenegro is once again a safe and attractive destination.
Mitrovic said: “Montenegro in itself does not have any problems but we are associated with the events in Serbia.
“We have had talks with UK operators but they were not convinced they should start from this year.”
The UK used to be the second most important market for the country with 80,000 visitors a year.