City Break in Romania

Peoples lack of free time and the daily stress have prompted tourist operators to come up with a new concept, that of city break.

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Ștefan Baciu, 06.11.2014, 15:34

People’s lack of free time and the daily stress have prompted tourist operators to come up with a new concept, that of city break, meaning a few days off at the weekend to a new tourist destination where people can recharge their batteries for a new working week. We have tried to find out from tour operator Anca Serban, if Romania is ready to meet this modern requirement:

Anca Serban: “For a city to be regarded as an appropriate city break destination, it has to comply with certain criteria, namely accessibility, tourist attractions and accommodation facilities. Romania does have tourist attractions and accommodation facilities, only accessibility has been a problem until recently, but now the problem is solved and many direct flights of low-cost and regular airlines link the European cities to Romania, at very accessible prices.”

According to statistics, in the first half of the year, foreign tourists came to Romania for business purposes, to participate in congresses, conferences, fairs and exhibitions, accounting for 57.9% of the total number of tourists who came to Romania. 42.1% of the tourists came to Romania on a private visit, for holidays, for shopping, for cultural and sports events, to visit friends and relatives, for medical treatments or to attend religious services or other events.

Next Anca Serban will tell us which cities are most visited by tourists:

“The favorite cities for city breaks are Bucharest, Sibiu, Cluj Napoca and Timisoara. Bucharest provides the widest range of offers because it is the city where a lot of things happen. Bucharest, just like Cluj and Timisoara is an attraction for opera lovers but Bucharest draws many young people thanks to its clubs. Sibiu draws tourists thanks to its rich cultural life, which is the result of cooperation between the local authorities and the tourist operators on the market. As to the city of Cluj, it will be a European Youth capital in 2015, so it is bound to attract many young people through the events dedicated to youth”.

Every year, about 100,000 foreigners come to Romania for health services, with most of them visiting spa resorts in Covasna and Herculane, which treat cardiovascular diseases and rheumatism. Most tourists who come here for treatment are from Israel, Germany and Italy.

Foreign tourists who visited Romania in the first half of the year spent here an average of 2500 lei each.

Anca Serban: “In Bucharest, a city break package that includes direct flight, with transfer from the airport to the hotel included, with two nights of accommodation in a double room in a three-star hotel, located in a central area, a dinner with artistic program included and a half-day city tour costs around 238 euros per person. If tourists opt for a 5-star hotel, the cost is 268 euros. The same price goes for other cities as well. It is a competitive, even tempting price.”

Romania will participate in the London Tourism Fair where tour operators will present their offers. Anca Serban tells us what other options foreign tourists traveling to Romania have:

Anca Serban: “Including Romania among the Lonely Planet top ten value destinations 2015, will increase tourists’ interest in our country. This is something we need, given that at present Romania is little known on the western tourist market, and that the information about it is not always positive. Our satisfaction is that, once in Romania, tourists are pleasantly surprised about what they find here, so the positive impression they go back home with, is the best way to advertise a tourist destination.”

Given that, in our opinion, the best time to visit a city is spring and autumn, don’t hesitate to contact your local tour operator to receive an offer to your taste.