From next spring Thomson will be offering direct flights from London Gatwick to Tivat. Flights will operate once a week, on Wednesdays, between May and October.

Budget airline Easyjet are introducing flights from Liverpool to Dubrovnik this summer. The new route will operate three times a week - Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays - from 2nd June to 15th September. One-way fares from £26.99.

Montenegro has set early elections for March amid predictions that the global economic crisis will slow the tiny nation's reform process.

President Filip Vujanovic scheduled the balloting for March 29, instead of in 2010 as formerly planned.

Deputy Prime Minister Igor Luksic told the parliament that Montenegro needs "stable institutions" if it wants to move closer to the European Union.

Montenegro split from its much larger neighbour Serbia in 2006 and has made NATO and EU membership the top priorities.

Since independence, Montenegro had moved to implement reform, reporting steady economic growth. But the International Monetary Fund recently predicted that the tiny Adriatic country will face a considerable slowdown in 2009.

Montenegrin analysts have said that Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic's government moved to hold early elections to ensure it maintains power before the crisis hits. Djukanovic's coalition has governed for over a decade and is expected to win the forthcoming vote.

The construction of an aerial lift connecting the ancient capital Cetinje to coastal town of Kotor is part of the government's investment programme for 2009. The lift will be the longest on the entire Adriatic coast and will stretch over 15 kilometres in total, with the journey taking 45 minutes.
The lift would provide spectacular views of the coastline and the Montenegrin mountains, making it a unique tourist attraction. In addition, the lift is also expected to ease much of the traffic between the Adriatic coast and Cetinje. The lift’s capacity will be 1,200 to 1,400 people per hour.

In a recent article in the Financial Times respected property analyst Liam Bailey selects 10 locations where buyers can safely buy in 2009 - and puts Montenegro at number four.
According to Bailey, Montenegro is a good place to invest because of its "small but attractive coastline with little room for significant resort development, limiting the risk of oversupply...property prices – at €1,550-€3,100 per sq metre on average for new developments – are cheap when compared with many established European locations although they can go as high as €4,000-€5,500 per sq metre. In the longer term, Montenegro aspires to European Union membership, which will significantly lower its risk profile".

Rough Guide's travel experts have produced a list of ten top destinations for 2009, among them Montenegro's wonderful UNESCO-protected town of Kotor:

Chill out in outdoor cafes in marble-paved squares, climb to the top of the medieval walled town for the best views of the world's second deepest fjord, or try out Montenegro's largest nightclub, Maximus, hidden away in its backstreet.

Budget airline Easyjet will be introducing flights from London Gatwick to Dubrovnik from May 2009. Flights will operate four times a week - Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday - and will cost from £23.99 one-way.