After a year of antitourism protests across Europe, one country is keen to increase its growing number of British tourists.

Officials in Montenegro are “more than happy” with the high numbers of UK tourists last year, and they have launched and renewed marketing campaigns to keep the numbers coming.

Director of Montenegro National Tourism Organisation Ana Tripković Marković attributes the successful year to increased air links with the UK.

Marković said: “We are more than happy with these figures because we have been working so hard to improve aircraft connectivity.

“We now have four different airlines flying to Montenegro from London, Birmingham, and Bristol. That has made a huge difference.”

In the first eight months of 2024, 80,000 UK visitors travelled Montenegro, compared with 89,000 UK arrivals for the whole of 2023, which was an 18% increase on 2022.

A James Bond-themed campaign launched in November across YouTube and Instagram, which will continue until the start of Summer this year to raise the profile of Montenegro as a travel destination.

It includes a short film with the tagline ‘uncover your wild side’, featuring one the country’s most popular tourist attractions, Peter II Petrovic-Njegos Mausoleum building in Lovcen national park.

Its tourist board will also continue its joint marketing campaigns with airlines such as Jet2 to reach potential tourists via radio, online and in-person.

Tripković Marković added: “We want to keep this trend [of increasing visitor numbers]. We are trying to get more travel agents to come here.”

She spoke about the diversity of Montenegro, offering different climates, landscapes, and cuisines across the country.

“You can swim and ski in different parts of Montenegro on the same day. In the west there is a Mediterranean cuisine and climate and in the north there’s an alpine climate,” she said.

Montenegro offers a mix of coast and mountains, with the Bay of Kotor’s dramatic fjords contrasting the relaxing beaches of Budva and Sveti Stefan.

Durmitor National Park is perfect for hikers, and the UNESCO-listed old town of Kotor is a firm tourist favourite.

Flights from the UK to Montenegro take under three hours.