Today, Montenegro is offered to tourists not only through picture postcards of the sea and the mountains, but also through the question which we only to often ask ourselves – are we able to tell our own story?
In times when destinations compete with prices, luxury and number of overnight stays, Montenegro has something that cannot be copied: depth of duration, layers of history and culture which still breathes in stone, verse and in people. Exactly there, at the crossroads between tourism and identity, commences the story of Jelena Jovetić – Director of the Directorate for Public Investments and Public Procurement Policy and a poet who sees her homeland as a higher sense, professional responsibility and personal inspiration.
It is not important how many foreigners visit us, but why they come and what they take away from Montenegro when they leave. In the world in which destinations more and more resemble each other, Montenegro has got a rare advantage – being its own self. Not just to offer the sea and its mountains, but also the sense, story and memory. To turn tourism into an encounter with history, culture and people, and not into a temporary landscape consumption. Our interlocutor believes that a homeland has to have a higher goal. In her understanding of development, tourism is not a faceless industry, but an area in which one defends the dignity of one’s country, preserving its particularity and building its future in which Montenegro does not sell itself, but presents itself to the world.
PROFESSIONAL ENDEAVOURS
- Homeland is an ideal, model of living, since if there is nothing above who are we serve to, who are we to be accountable to. Homeland is a determinant for our work to have a higher goal. It is a privilege to have job dedicated to creating better society, more powerful country and to leaving a trace which we will be remembered by. If in the past years our efforts in the Ministry of Finance have contributed to making at least a bit of good to Montenegro, to preserving historical statehood and strengthening its European future, then it was worthwhile being born here. In that case my professional endeavours serve the purpose and the homeland - says Jovetić.
On the other side of her personality, her homeland is her every word, every verse, every inspiration and duration.
- Homeland is the essence of my question “Who is there to defend you?” - says Jovetić.
She considers that our country is one of the most beautiful Balkan countries and states the key element of drawing its identity in contemporary culture:
- In our Balkan context, Montenegro gave the first printed book, it gave the symbol of fight and freedom, it gave powerful verses of Njegoš, Leso, Vito… Behind Montenegrin cultural map there are hidden threads of brave people who strived for heights. Kapor in his book “Green baize of Montenegro” not only praises the humaneness of the Montenegrins and Montenegrin rulers towards a foreigner and a slave, but demonstrates how much Montenegrin Royal Capital endeavoured to resemble European centres of culture and the modern world. It is a privilege of our generation to preserve the specificities of Montenegrin identity, composed of diversities. The foundation of contemporary Montenegrin culture is firm because it is composed of the threads of the tender Boka Kotorska, Old Town of Bar, the stillness of Cetinje, the kilims of the North, the karst of Durmitor, the minarets and altars - said Jovetić.
In her book of poems “Wo is there to defend you”, both Montenegro and a woman appear as powerful motifs, and she goes on to explain the reason for the title.
- The message is the response to the question, seemingly a very simple one “Who is there to defend you?” I simply wanted us to ask this question to each other. And to reply to the same. Aloud or to ourselves. Only it would be good if we kept less quiet. To have and attitude and to voice our opinion to important topics. This is democracy. This is a modern and mature society. The things we keep quiet about are going to catch up with us tomorrow. Silence kills those creative, productive ones, it kills the society. I wanted to praise the strength of Montenegro, but also the strength of women. I wanted to point out to the importance of defending or homeland and the properties. It is also my desire not to stop fighting for justice, right and freedom. Of Montenegro. Of women. I still believe that our society is in badly need of that. We should ask ourselves more often Who is there to defend you? - says Jovetić.
She states that both roles she has in the society are equally important to her. All she knows she gives to the area of public finance, and every emotion of hers she gives to her verses.
- Poems gave me the opportunity to perceive Montenegrin reality from another angle. It is fascinating how many wonderful people endeavour to enrich Montenegro with their great ideas and creative energy. This is a chance our country has to direct the energy towards creating new development impetus. On the other hand, in professional sense I perceive our chance in different light. Commitment to economically strengthen Montenegro is a difficult process. Every step that brings us closer to the European family is concurrently a new value, but also the fulfilment of the dream of our ancestors and rulers. One small country at the table with European countries had been a goal for which all generations of the Old Montenegro laid down their lives - explains Jovetić.
When it comes to the positioning of Montenegro on the tourist market, she thinks that it is directly linked to the offer for which it is essential to be unique with the content which is hard to find in some other destinations.
- Montenegrin chance lies in the particularity it cherishes, which gets us closer to tourist markets offering a combination of unspoilt nature and the content of historical values, a combination of the Mediterranean and highland culinary flavours, beauties of the country and its people. We have to learn that tourists nowadays do not visit countries for their hotels, beaches or ski slopes, but concurrently assess the offer which has some new value, new content and this is exactly what is expected from our tourism industry. Our story is a story of the people that fought to preserve their dignity, freedom, permanence and particularity. Our story is the story about Boka Kotorska Bay and the Venetian Republic, about Vladimir and Kosara, about Old Town of Bar or about the walls of Ulcinj, the towers of Plav, Green baize of Montenegro, Octoechos, freedom-loving Lovćen and Durmitor fairies. I do know so many great and educated people in our country who can add some new charms to these threads. I know a strong Montenegro which can have its own story and something new with the most wonderful sunsets, since if there is no something extra, tourists will go looking for the sun in Monaco, Italy or Spain - says Jovetić adamantly.
CULTURE AS OFFER
She thinks that culture is an integral part of the tourist offer. It can undoubtedly influence the selection of a destination. By visiting a country, tourists will be looking for an opportunity to get to know it, to learn something new, to see some different contents.
- A snapshot of our current situation shows us clearly that we have not been looking at culture as a tool for economic flows and processes. I am targeting a collective conclusion that culture has not been cherished as an important segment of our society and it overall progress. Imagine a country which has not managed to promote the first printing press in this part of the world, Njegoš or even great Petar Lubarda. It suffices to mention these in the attempt to make us become aware of the opportunities missed, hoping that this is going to be the basis for us to work harder. I believe in the potential of our future economic processes with regards to creating tourist offer which is directly linked to what Montenegro really is, and this is historical value of a small country with exceptional natural beauties and related stories, which take one’s breath away - stresses Jovetić.
She considers that tourism development is to be connected with the preservation of tradition and identity of Montenegro and that people and infrastructure are conditional to further economic development and growing tourist industry as a principal branch of our economy.
- People as a potential and basis, people who can do a lot, people who drive forward and create. Infrastructure as a tool. We need roads. Roads are bridges on the land, in the sky and on the sea, connections which joined the first human communities, the ancient Romans build roads to connect their lands. In that sense, Montenegro is investing a lot, therefore we can expect that a new road network, new investments and concession model of managing our airports will bring new benefits in the area of tourism. The strengthening of tourism industry, in that sense, makes Montenegrin economy stronger, and an economically strong country is a country which has future - says Jovetić adding that tourism is a unique opportunity for people who visit Montenegro, to be able to take with them a story about its beauties, becoming thus our ambassadors and spread the story further, the story of one country, its tradition, culture and permanence.
- Tourists are those foreigners who come and pass through our country and who can concurrently be the guardians of the particularities of our country, the country which is not only adorned with the beauty of its nature but also by the beauty of its people composed of historical values and karst, poems and eternity - concludes Jovetić.
