Cruise Tourism and the Socio-Economic Challenges of Sustainable Development: The Case of Kotor, Montenegro

Cruise tourism plays a prominent role in Kotor’s tourism strategy, contributing to local income and shaping the city’s recent development. Driven by growing global demand, cruise arrivals have transformed the destination, raising questions about sustainability and local well-being. This study examines how residents perceive the impacts of cruise tourism across economic, sociocultural and environmental dimensions. Based on a sample of 214 residents, data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed through descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis and ANOVA. The findings indicate predominantly negative attitudes, especially regarding increased living costs, overcrowding and limited local economic benefits. Environmental concerns were also strongly expressed. Notably, there were no significant differences in perceptions based on residents’ proximity to the cruise port or their employment in tourism. These results contrast with earlier research suggesting that tourism involvement or spatial proximity leads to more positive attitudes. In Kotor’s case, widespread dissatisfaction suggests that a saturation point has been reached, highlighting a growing disconnect between cruise tourism growth and community well-being. The findings indicate the need for participatory and sustainable tourism planning and reaffirm the relevance of conceptual models such as Doxey’s Irridex in assessing resident attitudes in over-touristed destinations.