Throughout the XX century Ulcinj had suffered heavy falls but amazing rises too. From the second-positioned town in Montenegro in 1880 when it became part of this state, after only three decades, it became the sixth economically developed and inhabited town (Podgorica, Nikšić, Cetinje, Bar, Plav). Its maritime and trade had a weaker and weaker pulls, so that the town declined.
It was in the thirties of the XX century that it experienced a strong turning point. At this time the Salt factory – Solana and the hotels like Republika, Jadran and Koop (later Galeb) were built, which made Ulcinj to an economic and tourist centre in the state. Unfortunately, World War II definitely ended this zest.
Ulcinj had to wait two decades after the end of the war to see its most beautiful time in this century. A lot of modern hotels were built in the town and on Velika Plazha – Long Beach, and huge companies such as HTP “Ulcinjska Riviera”, “Agroulcinj”, the civil engineering company “Primorje”, “Otrantkomerc”, “Ultep”… were founded, which contributed to a fantastic economic development. By the end of the eighties Ulcinj had made almost 40 % of the total tourist turnover in Montenegro, and two thirds of the tourists were from abroad, mostly from Germany.
In the catastrophic earthquake on April 1979 the town suffered severe damages; however, it was just a couple of years later that it was renewed thanks to the solidarity of the citizens of the whole ex SFR of Yugoslavia.Even though Ulcinj has existed for more than 2.5 millenniums, it is still a multi-ethnical and multi-confessional town with the most beautiful natural resources in Montenegro, which makes it together with the hospitality of its citizens to be a desired destination for guests and visitors from all over the world.