An ancient town in Montenegro is suffering under the weight of streams of tourists who threaten to overwhelm its narrow streets and delicate ecosystem. 

Kotor, which features in the iconic 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale, has seen a steady rise in cruise ship arrivals over the past decade. 

About 500 were expected in 2024, with it being possible for up to four ships to line up to dock at once. The port has two berths near the old town centre and three anchorages in the bay.

When this occurs, around 5,000 visitors descend on the streets of the town which is home to around 23,000 residents and which holds UNESCO World Heritage status.  

This surge in tourism, which accounts for roughly a quarter of Montenegro’s economic output, is putting significant strain on the town’s infrastructure.

“Traffic jams are huge”, said an owner of a local souvenir shop, Doris Dajkovic.

“The life of our neighbours is becoming increasingly difficult during the tourist season,” said Jovan Ristic, director of the local tourist organisation, who supports an increase in the current one euro (87p) fee charged to cruise ship visitors.

The city would certainly not be the first to implement a high tourist tax on visitors. In April, day-trippers to Venice were required to pay five euros (£4.30) a day between the hours of 8.30am and 4pm, with a separate tax already applicable to overnight stays. 

There have been moves to increase this figure further, with the fee doubling for those who book less than four days in advance. 

Visitors must pay the fee online and download a QR code to show to inspectors. Those who evade the fee may be fined up to 300 euros (£248).

Environmental concerns are also growing. 

Modern-day ships predominantly use liquified natural gas (LNG) for their fuel. While using LNG does cut carbon dioxide emissions by a quarter, such ships end up emitting more greenhouse gases overall, due to the “methane slip” – unburnt methane escaping into the atmosphere. 

“Such a number of cruisers requires a study to determine the maximum environmental load,” warned Milica Mandic, a scientific advisor at Montenegro’s Institute of Marine Biology. 

Kotor would not be alone in wanting to put a stop to such high levels of cruise ship tourism. In 2021, Venice also banned large cruise ships from entering its central canals in a bid to control numbers and reduce damage, particularly after one crashed into its dock in 2019. 

This year, the Dutch capital of Amsterdam launched plans to relocate its passenger cruise terminal outside of the city centre, with the aim of no boats being able to dock by 2035.

Meanwhile, Greece is also looking at imposing a cap in an attempt to mitigate damage caused by crowds on Santorini, which now frequently receives 11,000 visitors, even as high as 17,000 in one day.