Our Organization

The Austrian-Montenegrin Partnership (AMP) is located in Montenegro; with headquarter in Kolašin and branch offices in Berane and Podgorica.

The project started in 2004, and will run until 2009 but very first activities for cooperation have been initiated in 2001. In that time, Kolasin has been the only town with tourism tradition in the area. The political and economic changes in the former Yugoslavian states in the 1990ies have been enormous. Especially in the mountainous hinterland of Montenegro nature-based tourism with the National Park Biogradska Gora finds excellent preconditions and is one of the most-realistic chances for future economic development. In 2004, the project practically has to start from the scratch. The project area involves the five municipalities Andrijevica, Berane, Bijelo Polje, Kolašin, Mojkovac and the National Park Biogradska Gora

Map of region (Download of map)

Our Aims

The strategy foresees a holistic, integrated and a strictly sustainable approach for tourism development where all products and activities base on authentic, traditional regional resources. From the first meeting on, all activities are planned and carried out with regional stakeholders.
The objectives until 2009 are:

1. Establishing and strengthening the Regional Tourism Organization (RTO): tourism programming, marketing and visibility,
2. Further development of the National Park Biogradska Gora: visitor programming and infrastructure,
3. A sustainable local and regional development: as completion to the regional tourism strategy,
4. Further development of summer and winter sports activities
5. The project already serves as example of best practice, and covers now also activities for the National Park Lovćen in the South of the country by developing guest programs including adequate visitor infrastructure.

The project implementation takes place in five areas of concern:

• Regional Tourism Organization of the area of Bjelasica & Komovi/RTO
• National Parks of Biogradska Gora and Lovćen
• Local sustainable development for the five municipalities of the Bjelasica & Komovi region
• Regional sustainable development of the area of Bjelasica & Komovi
• Mountain Tourism activities

Our Funding 2004 - 2009

Through implementation of this project, the two countries – Austria and Montenegro - will continue their very successful cooperation, which brought along also special benefits complementary to the project activities like a feasibility study in biomass, business partnerships with wood processing enterprises and pilot projects in low energy construction and housing

Our Key-Partners

The project implementation is carried out under the principles of

• Local ownership: local project officers have the responsibility for operational implementation; local population, local authorities and civil society have to be included as partners in the project implementation.

• Step by step procedure: a long-term perspective of sustainable development requires a strategy, which allows to be understandable for all involved people at each level of implementation;

• Local decision-making process for both, strategies and projects: decision about strategies and projects will be prepared in sub-committees and launched to the steering committee for approval.

Benefits and effects to Economy and local people

Best practices so far…

The project is implemented by ÖAR Regionalberatung GmbH, Vienna, Austria.