Organised in Bucharest between November 12-15 and currently in its 34th edition, Romania’s Travel Fair remains the ideal opportunity to present the most interesting travel offers.
The visitors to Romania’s Travel Fair were able to get substantial discounts on next summer’s travel packages and reservations for their next holidays for only 99 euros. The most popular ones were the offers for Romanian seaside holidays, which came with discounts of as much as 30%. But other destinations in the country were included in special programmes as well. Coach trips on Romania’s highest altitude road, the Transalpina, including visits to the cities of Alba Iulia and Cluj and to the Turda salt mine, were sold for 157 euros per person. The price includes transport, tourist assistance, half-board accommodation for three nights and the aforementioned visits. On the other hand, a five-day circuit to the Danube Delta, including full board accommodation, transport and boat rides on the Danube, was sold for 306 euros per person.
For those who love mountains, fresh air and clean waters, Slanic Moldova, in the east of the country, is the ideal choice. This is how a local hotel owner, Ioan Munteanu, promotes the resort: “It is a very beautiful resort, where a lot of people come for treatment, for various health problems, such as rheumatism or digestive, respiratory or liver diseases. Slanic Moldova offers healthcare facilities, a great scenery and entertainment options. Apart from the hotels and guesthouses that have treatment facilities, the ski run and the local railway line, called Slanic Express, are also very popular with our tourists. A full-board four-night package including the New Year’s Eve Party costs 290 euros. For those who get here on January 3rd, for a 3-night stay, with all activities and meals, including access to the indoor pool, we charge 250 euros. But the hotel was fully booked one month ago.”
Adrian Puiulet, with the Alba County Council’s tourism office, says a lot has been invested in the travel infrastructure in the county, which he represented at the Romanian Travel Fair: “There are a lot of destinations, and tourists may find a variety of ways to spend time here: trekking, mountain climbing, paragliding, historic site tours, skiing. We have most of the things you can find anywhere in the country. In Alba County, especially in the rural area, traditions are also very well preserved. Guesthouse owners are already prepared to receive tourists. There are so many customs to see and dishes to taste, that it will take tourists a long time to really get to know this area.”
Vasile Ciocarlan, from the village of Stefan cel Mare in Neamt County, was one of the craftsmen invited to this year’s fair: “In Neamt County we have all traditional crafts still practiced, such as sculpture, traditional mask and costume manufacturing and so on. There is an association, called Valea Ozanei, established in Targu Neamt. There are also lots of workshops. I live in a traditional house, built around 200 years ago, which I have inherited from my great-grandparents, and I have put together a little museum there. And together with the County Council and a cultural centre in Piatra Neamt, we organise a workshop for people aged between 7 and 21. We meet there twice a week, we make traditional masks and costumes and practice wood sculpture and carving.”
Alina Dumbrava, an events and culture consultant for the Targoviste City Hall, promotes this area in southern Romania, listing a variety of events scheduled for next year: “This year at the Travel Fair we promote as many as 11 events that will take place in 2016. These include events which already have a long-standing tradition, such as the ‘Golden Chrysanthemum’ Romance Music Festival, which has been running for 49 consecutive years. The Dracula Medieval Festival is younger, but it is quickly becoming a symbol of our city. We have theatre festivals for children, and an international theatre festival, which last year brought together participants from 28 countries. There is also the European Classical Spring Festival, which is devoted to classical music. The Muntenia Symphony Orchestra will organise a performance at the Princely Court, with soloists from Romania and abroad.”
The National Railway Company also took part in the Romanian Travel Fair, promoting special fares for the tourists who plan to get to the mountain resorts in Prahova Valley area. A train ticket from Bucharest to Predeal is around 9 euros. Dorina Litra, representing the National Railway Company’s Passenger Division has more: “At this year’s travel fair we are presenting the 2016 Winter Schedule valid as of January 1, with 25% discounts on week days. In addition, we have discounted weekend fares for Prahova Valley resorts, ranging between 31 and 56 per cent. Tariffs are valid for all categories of tourists, nation-wide.”
Hilda Parra, from Spain, is one of the foreign tourists in Romania, where she has been for one week now. She came here to book her holiday for 2016, because here is what she thinks about Romania: “It’s very beautiful! I love it! It is so merry and with a lot of traditional music. We went to the seaside, at the Black Sea, and we took long walks in Constanta and Bucharest. I’ve told my friends and my children they must come here for the holidays.”
A six-day half-board stay in northern Moldavia was sold for 231 euros, while a circuit in Maramures, on a similar offer, costs 225 euros. But if you want to take advantage of the early-bird offers for your next holiday in Romania, you should call your travel right now.
(translated by Ana Maria Popescu; edited by Diana Vijeu)
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