The north: mountains, national parks and a state-built ski programme

What the north offers

The northern region takes in the mountain municipalities: among them Pljevlja and Žabljak in the north-west, Plav, Gusinje and Rožaje in the east, and Kolašin, Mojkovac and Bijelo Polje along the main road and railway. It holds three of the country's national parks, Durmitor, Biogradska Gora and Prokletije, and the Tara River canyon.

Hotel supply is thin. In May 2026 the region had 63 categorised establishments with 1,093 rooms and 3,118 beds: under 6% of the national total, although it holds 11.77% of establishments. Only 23 of the country's 285 licensed tourist agencies work here. For an investor that is the case in a sentence: the landscape and the public infrastructure are arriving faster than the beds, the operators and the services that should sit around them.

Labour market

Unemployment in the north was 19.6% in 2025, far above the coastal rate of 6.7%. That gap is the main reason the Government is steering tourism investment north, and it means a new hotel will find people to hire. It will not always find trained ones: plan for in-house training, and for housing if the site is remote. The region contains most of the six strategic business zones (Berane–Rudes, Bijelo Polje–Nadakusi i Cerovo, Mojkovac–Babica Polje and Šavnik), where new hires can carry payroll relief; see business zones.

Access

The first section of the Bar–Boljare motorway, 40 km, links Podgorica with Kolašin in under an hour and has changed travel times between the coast, the capital and the mountains. The Bar–Belgrade railway runs through the region. The nearest international airport is Podgorica, so road transfers belong in both the guest experience and the cost model, and winter road maintenance matters as much as flight schedules.

The state ski programme

The Government has budgeted €209.5M for five state ski resorts, of which about €105.7M had been spent. Kolašin 1600 and Savin Kuk are operating. Cmiljača, Žarski and Hajla are under construction. The state is also opening Đalovića Cave near Bijelo Polje to visitors. The state builds the lifts, slopes, roads and base stations; the private opportunity is the hotels, chalets, restaurants, wellness and summer activities around them. Each resort page sets out how far the public works have got.

Flagship project

Kolašin 1600 is the guide's one flagship project outside the coast. A private consortium is building the base settlement next to the state ski area under a long-term land lease approved by Parliament, and Swissôtel Resort Kolašin is already open, with more branded hotels in the pipeline. It is the model the state wants to repeat: public lifts and slopes first, a private anchor next, then other operators following.

Kolašin

Kolašin 1600

Mountain anchor

€30M

About €30 million private investment · About 70 jobs

Planning and conservation constraints

• Durmitor and UNESCO. Durmitor National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Development at Savin Kuk ski resort is subject to World Heritage management and conservation frameworks, and the Žabljak mountain hospitality cluster sits inside the park area, where a sensitive landscape and energy- and water-efficient operation are expected.
• River and protected-area rules. The Tara riverside plots at Mojkovac are planned for low-intensity use: organised camping, glamping and eco-lodges rather than large hotels. Near any protected area, check the protection regime as well as the local plan.
• Unresolved land at Žarski. The slopes and cable car wait on property-legal matters, so completion dates are uncertain.
• Snow and climate. Several resorts are still planning or building snowmaking. Ask for water sources, snowmaking capacity and the summer programme before relying on a winter season.
• Power and utilities. Some public works are waiting on electricity connections. Confirm utility capacity for a hotel, not just for the lifts.

Instruments that favour the north

Two rules tilt the economics inland. Tourism Development Zones let an investor propose a project of at least €3 million on at least one hectare of state land and receive that land on a long-term lease. The condo-hotel model is available here from four stars rather than five. Both combine with the tax incentives for high-category hotels.

Open opportunities in the north

The current portfolio has six public mountain projects and two development sites in the north. The development sites are state land offered for hotels, resorts and camps, mostly on long-term lease.

OPP-BP-01 · Bijelo Polje

Cmiljača ski resort

NorthernMountainUnder construction

Public budget

€60M

Altitude

1,620 m

OPP-BP-02 · Bijelo Polje

Đalovića Cave

NorthernMountainUnder construction

Public budget

€32M

OPP-KL-01 · Kolašin

Kolašin 1600 ski resort

NorthernMountainOperational

Public budget

€56M

Altitude

1,600–2,035 m

OPP-MK-01 · Mojkovac

Žarski ski resort

NorthernMountainUnder construction

Public budget

€29.5M

Altitude

1,650–1,720 m

OPP-MK-02 · Mojkovac

Mojkovac Tara riverside camps and resorts

NorthernRiverPlanning set

Area

64,989 m²

Beds

238

OPP-RO-01 · Rožaje

Hajla ski resort

NorthernMountainUnder construction

Public budget

€45M

Altitude

1,730–2,119 m

OPP-ZB-01 · Žabljak

Savin Kuk ski resort, Durmitor

NorthernMountainOperational

Public budget

€19M

Altitude

1,515–2,212 m

OPP-ZB-02 · Žabljak

Žabljak mountain hospitality cluster

NorthernMountainPlanning set

Area

37,794 m²

Altitude

1,456 m

Beds

300

Inclusion does not confirm title, planning readiness, permitting status, commercial feasibility or availability. Use the due-diligence checklist before relying on any site.