The beginning of tourism in the Bar municipality dates back to the 18th century when the magical spells of the villages of Gornja Brca and present-day Sutomore were discovered by Venetian countesses.
The combination of the mild Mediterranean climate, the invigorating properties of the sea water and sandy beaches, the extraordinary architectural and ambient completeness of this place, palaces made of stone and ornamented with details in beaten iron, soon attracted the first organised tourist groups from the present-day territories of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, who, following the aristocracy in the mid 18th century, found this perfect vacation place in 1890. At the beginning of the 20th century, more specifically in 1909, the first tourist facility in Bar, the Hotel ‘Marina’, was built to serve the needs of the Italian navy. This hotel had a capacity of around 60 rooms and remained open until 1947. In the nineteen thirties, the ‘Dekleva’ and ‘Jugoslavija’ Hotels were built. Whilst the ‘Jugoslavija’ Hotel only had two rooms, the ‘Dekleva’ Hotel had 20 rooms, all with sea view, a hall, restaurant, large garden and a terrace. It was, actually, a hotel-sanatorium, and the guests who came here were mostly from Serbia.
At the beginning of nineteen fifties, accommodation facilities were as follows: ‘Rumija’ Hotel (former ‘Dekleva’), Sozina Hotel (a former school) and several camps in Sutomore and Žukotrlica which were especially attractive for the young population – members of the Youth Hostel Association from Serbia. Development of weekend tourism i.e. building weekend holiday homes first started with construction of the Bar – Titograd railway in 1957. During that period the first large public tourist facility was built, the holiday hostel of the Syndicate of Montenegro. The ‘Južno More’ Hotel was built here at a later date. In the following decades, the number of hotels increased significantly (‘Agava’ 1966, ‘13. jul’ 1966, ‘Korali’ 1969, ‘Nikšić’ 1970, ‘Inex’, 1971). Today, the Bar Riviera comprises approximately 4,000 accommodation units in hotels, around 2,000 beds in tourist settlements, approximately 1,000 beds in holiday hostels as well as a significantly large number in private accommodation 25500 beds.
