Popular holiday hotspot 'on the brink' as hundreds of cruise ships bring in tourists
The picturesque coastal town of Kotor in Montenegro is grappling with a surge in tourism, leading to overcrowding and concerns about potential environmental damage.
Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site nestled against the limestone cliffs of Mt Loven, is renowned for its labyrinthine narrow streets and medieval architecture, including an array of Romanesque churches.
The town also gained fame after featuring in the 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale. Hundreds of ships dock in the harbour daily, bringing a large portion of Kotor's visitors.
This has led to calls for an increase in the modest €1 (86p) fee that cruise ship passengers pay to access the town.
Over the past decade, the number of cruise ship visits to Kotor has been steadily increasing. According to the Express, the town saw approximately 500 additional arrivals last year alone.
On one day in August, a staggering 5,000 holidaymakers disembarked from cruise ships into the town, which has a population of just 23,000. This influx is reportedly causing significant harm to the marine ecosystem.
As per the latest data from the Statistical Office of Montenegro, over 2.6 million people visited the country in 2024. The country also recorded a total of 15.5 million overnight stays, with 96.1% being foreign tourists, primarily from Serbia, Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, Germany, Ukraine and the UK.
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The UN's GEF Adriatic Project warns: "Although the population size increase [in Montenegro] is relatively low, the number of tourists drastically increases every year, which poses a significant burden on local sewage capacities and increases the costs of their construction and maintenance."
Milica Mandic, a scientific adviser at Montenegro's Institute of Marine Biology, voiced her alarm: "Such a number of cruisers requires a study to determine the maximum environmental load."
Countless demonstrations have erupted across Europe over the past year as residents voice their frustration with the enormous surge of visitors flooding their cities and towns.
Beloved holiday hotspots including Spain, France, and Italy have witnessed such unrest.
This backlash has prompted many Britons to abandon these destinations and seek alternative locations for their summer getaways.
Local Kotor tourism chief, Jovan Ristic, shared his worries: "The life of our neighbours is becoming increasingly difficult during the tourist season. All similar tourist destinations are working on reducing or selecting passenger ships and seriously collecting excursion fees."
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