The Montenegrin coastal town of Kotor, home to around 22,000 people, receives as many as 700,000 cruise ship visitors each season—a volume that requires urgent and responsible tourism management, Mayor Vladimir Jokic said on Monday.
Speaking at a panel titled “Cruise Ships in the Bay of Kotor – Economy and Ecology”, part of the Bay of Kotor as a Sustainable Nautical Destination conference in Tivat, Jokic said the town’s infrastructure was not built to accommodate such intense seasonal pressure.
“As a city that hosts such a large number of cruise ships, we face enormous challenges,” Jokic said. “Kotor has only 22,000 residents, and up to 700,000 visitors pass through the port each season, in a limited space with infrastructure not designed for such pressure.”
Jokic acknowledged Kotor’s centuries-long maritime legacy—from sailboats and steamships to modern cruise liners—but cautioned that unmanaged tourism growth could have long-term consequences.
“The economic impact of cruise tourism is significant,” he said, citing estimates of €60 million to €80 million in annual revenue from passenger and crew spending. “But these benefits must not overshadow the system’s real weaknesses.”
He called for regulatory reform to ensure better oversight of tourism products, especially within Kotor’s UNESCO-listed Old Town. “Currently, foreign leaseholders dominate the market with offers that are disconnected from local culture and heritage,” he said.
The conference, held during the Wind Festival in Tivat, was organized by the Delfin Sailing Club and the Faculty of Maritime Studies in Kotor.