Why Montenegro?

Stealthily, something is stirring along a compact stretch of the Adriatic Coast. Montenegro, a small Balkan country blessed with great natural beauty, is now emerging with a chance to for-fill its potential as the next property hotspot.

Montenegrins have been here before. Fleetingly, between the time socialism was on its knees in the late 1980's and before the conflict of the Balkan wars in the 1990's, the jet set made this self-styled 'Pearl of the Adriatic' their holiday destination of choice. This time, they intend to make more than a fleeting impression. This time, with sound political judgement and strong European guidance, they offer a pathway to a stable and prosperous future. If they are right, then Montenegro's holiday property market, presents-right now-an extremely attractive investment opportunity.

Montenegro or Crna Gora, Black Mountain when translated into English is situated in the heart of the Mediterranean. Bordering Albania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, divided from Italy by the Adriatic Sea, and less than a two hour flight from London. With a climate that boasts all four seasons: Spring, hot balmy summers and autumns with temperatures in the 20's and 30's, accompanied by relatively mild winters although inland areas experience heavy snowfall. In addition, Montenegrin Cuisine is usually organic including fresh fish, juicy steak, peppers in Kajmak (sour cream), smoked hams and lamb braised in milk. Crisp salads, earthy vegetables, rich sauces, bread, garlic, parsley, olive oil and Lubenita (watermelon) being the staple accompaniments. All washed down with a full-bodied red, dry white wine or rather cheeky Merlot.

The first, unyielding fact to bear in mind is Montenegro's sheer beauty. The UN designated the country, the world's first 'ecological state' in 1991. While the Balkan economy was shackled by decades of Titoism and crippled by the conflagration of the 1990's, Montenegro maintained, albeit a fragile multi-ethnic democracy, whilst peaceful relations ensured its magnificent scenery survived in tact. More than this, the lack of investment over the decades has had the perverse effect of avoiding all the pitfalls of unsympathetic tourism development. This has left the country well placed to generate 'ecotourism': skiing in its prodigious mountains, white-water rafting in its cavernous gorges, fishing, sailing and bird watching. There are acres of UNESCO protected natural parks and lakes. Most of all, for those less inclined to exert themselves, bathing in a generous Mediterranean sun in any one of Montenegro's 117 beaches and caves along 190 miles of gorgeous coast.

Alive to these possibilities, the country's democratic government in 2001 unveiled a tourism 'master plan', a blueprint for all tourism planning and targets up to 2020. At the heart of the 'master plan' is the opening up of Montenegro's hotel and tourism industry to free enterprise. But it also sets a framework to ensure only suitable planning developments on the coast, to update the transport infrastructure, and to add professional training to the warm hospitality that comes naturally from the Montenegrin people.

The statistics are already starting to sound impressive. The world travel and tourism council puts Montenegro third among the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world. Tourism has risen over 17% per annum and today amounts to almost 15% of Montenegrin GDP. This equates to