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In the last quarter of the twentieth century, Montenegro, by virtue of tourism development, finally came up with an opportunity to valorize exceptional natural beauties and thus provide significant revenues for the national economy. However, although in that period, in the developed Mediterranean destinations and in America, nautical tourism, as one of the forms of tourism, recorded exceptional growth rates, in Montenegro, this segment of the tourist offer has begun to develop more seriously in the last ten years. Growth and development of nautical tourist offer in Montenegro is not the result of strategic planning activities, but the epilogue of individual initiatives of private investors, which calls into question the future sustainability of this process. Purpose of research – The purpose of research in the subject doctoral dissertation is firstly reflected in providing a comprehensive insight into the chronology of development and the state of nautical tourism as part of a complex economic phenomenon such as tourism in general. After describing the role of tourism in Montenegro, the research focuses on establishing a relationship between the development of nautical tourism and the previously established principles of sustainable development in Montenegro. The ultimate intention is to emphasize the importance of applying the principles of sustainability in all development stages of nautical tourism on the Montenegrin part of the Adriatic. Research design - Empirical research was carried out by processing and analyzing data from primary and secondary sources. Data obtained from secondary sources are the basis for establishing projections of future trends, while data from primary sources, collected by surveying 116 stakeholders in the period from 2012 to the end of 2017, were put into the function of testing the previously defined expectations. Research findings - After evaluating the role of tourism in general and nautical in particular, it was established that these activities are of strategic importance for the economy of Montenegro, and that they represent one of the foundations of future prosperity, only if they are realized in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. Significance of research - Since nautical tourism is relatively poorly explored in Montenegro, the significance of this research is reflected in a comprehensive analysis of this developmental phenomenon, on the basis of which appropriate conclusions were made, along with recommendations for future activities within the framework of reasonably observed sustainable parameters, on a specific tourist destination - Montenegrin coast.