MONTENEGRO AS A POPULAR DESTINATION IN INTERNATIONAL TOURISM AND TOUR OPERATORS' OFFERS ON THE UKRAINIAN MARKET

Abstract

The Ukrainian tourism market is constantly developing, adapting to new conditions, becoming more diverse, creating new jobs, greater opportunities for Ukrainian citizens to obtain high-quality tourism products and services, etc. One of the countries that is included in the list of popular tourist destinations among Ukrainian citizens is Montenegro. Over the past ten years, this country has also deservedly enjoyed popularity among tourists on the international tourism market. The article explores the reasons for Montenegro's popularity, presents the features of tourism development in the country at the current stage of its development, and analyses offers for Montenegro for 2026 from leading tour operators (TOs) working in the Ukrainian tourism market. These are tour operators such as Aссord Tour, Adriatic Travel, ALF, Coral Travel, Itravel, Join UP!, Kompas, Tango Travel, TEZ Tour. Among the main reasons for Montenegro’s popularity are its striking diversity and picturesque natural landscapes. This is evident across a relatively small area, as Montenegro is a compact country. A number of the country’s natural sites are unique. This is combined with a rich historical and cultural heritage, resulting in a wealth of excursion programmes and the opportunity to combine beach holidays with various types of tourism. An analysis of tour operators' offers for Montenegro for the Ukrainian tourism market showed that they are quite diverse and numerous. The offers are presented both as package tours and as individual services of tour operators (sale of airline tickets, sale of bus tickets, selection of hotels from the hotel base at the request of tourists). Coach tours and flight programmes to Montenegro in 2026 run from late April to late October. The peak period for tour operators’ offers falls during the summer months. The Ukrainian cities from which coach departures to Montenegro take place include Lviv, Lutsk, Kyiv, Odesa and others. Every year, the range of departure points for coach tours or transfers to Montenegro becomes increasingly diverse, indicating a rise in demand for the country. Most departures to Montenegro, and most frequently in tour operators’ offers, use Chisinau as the departure airport, with Tivat as the destination airport in most cases and Podgorica less frequently.