The Ambassadors of Romanian Tourism
The first eight ambassadors of Romanian tourism have signed a contract entitled “Tourist Romania, meant to better promote the countrys image.
Valentin Țigău, 20.08.2013, 13:53
Folk music vocalist Grigore Lese, rowers Elisabeta Lipa and Ivan Patzaichin, tennis player Ilie Nastase, caricaturist Stefan Popa Popas, athletes Iolanda Balas Soter and Gabriela Szabo and panpipe player Gheorghe Zamfir on Monday received their passports of ambassadors of Romanian tourism. They have pledged to turn to good account the image capital they enjoy, in order to develop local tourism, under the program “Romania gets promoted by its values.” Attending the ceremony, the minister delegate for SMEs, the Business Environment and Tourism, Maria Grapini, defined the program initiated by the government as being meant to rediscover Romanian values, both human and material.
Maria Grapini: “The project is entitled ‘Romania gets promoted by its values’. Actually, before launching it, I wondered why we, the Romanians, don’t know how to treasure human values. This goes for natural values, too- but we are now talking about human resources, which represent the most important resource, from my point of view.”
The eight ambassadors have called on the authorities to show transparency, allot funds to promotion and recognize the elites. Under the program, they will promote a certain segment of the local tourism industry, starting with rural tourism, spa tourism, cultural tourism, up to ecological and historical tourism.
Maria Grapini has told Radio Romania the message that decision-makers want to convey through this program to the Romanian and foreign public opinion: “The message is very clear: these true values, acknowledged at European and international level can be the best promoters of Romania’s image, because, unfortunately, Romania is not perceived as it should be, with its real values. It will be these powerful personalities who will convince people, easier than politicians or administrative institutions do.”
Presenting its personal project to support Romanian tourism, multiple world and Olympic champion Ivan Patzaichin said, during the ceremony, that he will try to lay out in the Danube Delta the biggest eco-tourism centre in the world. In her turn, athlete Gabriela Szabo has said Romania is a country of great interest for foreigners, but which is, unfortunately, little known. In his turn, Romanian tennis player Ilie Nastase believes that in order to re-launch Romanian tourism, we now need more investments in infrastructure as well as changes for the better, especially at the level of quality services.
