Red Corner: Montenegro Stepping Up

Although the newest “hot” location in Europe these days is Croatia, there is already speculation on where the next up-and-coming beach holiday destination will be. Some experts are looking toward Montenegro to fill that niche.

Offically called Serbia and Montenegro, and once part of Yugoslavia just as Croatia was, the country lies just south of Dubrovnik along the Adriatic coast. Like Croatia, it too is blessed with wonderful beaches and amazing nature as well as a UNESCO world heritage site. Where it differs from Croatia, however, is its “poor road infrastructure, problems with water supply in some coastal areas, and the lack of high quality accommodation.”

This assessment comes to us from the folks at Transitions Online, experts on post communist countries transitioning to capitalism. According to Nela Lazarevic, Montenegro has been a bit slower transitioning than their neighbor to the north, but this is all changing quickly. A PR campaign, “Discover the Wild Beauty” has been promoting the country and has already increased tourism to the area. By 2010, 10 million tourists a year are expected to turn this quiet nation into just another Ibiza or Mallorca. Go now before this happens.