Romania holds one third of Europe’s thermal waters and
\n60% of its mineral water reserves. From the point of view of accommodation, the
\nshare of spa tourism in the Romanian tourism is between 20% and 25%. It is a
\ndynamic field, with changes from one year to the next, with a strong development in rural areas. Together with our guest today, Nicu R\u0103dulescu,
\nthe president of the Romanian
\nSpa Tourism Employers’ Association, we will look at the most sought-after destinations as well as at spa treatments.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Nicu R\u0103dulescu: Most accommodation facilities can
\nbe found in the resorts of B\u0103ile Felix, C\u0103lim\u0103nesti-C\u0103ciulata and Sovata. There
\nis a massive concentration of accommodation there. There are three large
\nresorts, which also have a historical tradition. Of course, we should not
\nforget about the so-called ‘old lady’ of the Romanian spa tourism, B\u0103ile Herculane
\nresort. However, modernization works were undertaken mostly in these three
\nresorts, where much more was invested. Now we are also waiting for major
\ninvestments to be started by my colleagues in B\u0103ile Herculane. There are
\nalready a few daring investors who have done some special things, but
\nexpectations are much higher, because B\u0103ile Herculane resort is indeed an area
\nwith a lot of resources, both spa and ecotourist. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Spa treatments
\nhave a long tradition, Romania being among the first countries in the world to
\ncreate a scientific society of balneology and climatology. We asked our guest,
\nNicu R\u0103dulescu, the president of the Employers’ Organization of Spa Tourism in
\nRomania, if we can combine spa treatment with the passion for history.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Nicu R\u0103dulescu: Spa
\nresorts boast extraordinary histories. For example, many extraordinary events
\ntook place in B\u0103ile Herculane spa resort. It was part of an empire; it went
\nthrough wars. There are other smaller resorts too. Germisara resort is as old
\nas Herculane resort, although it is perhaps less famous. Geoagiu B\u0103i resort was
\ncalled Germisara. The resort of Sl\u0103nic Moldova, for example, was visited by
\nruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza, who discussed with his fellow Romanians about the
\nhistorical events that were to take place: the Small Union and the Great Union.
\nSo, we have every reason to believe that these resorts, both in the days of
\nyore and in the more recent centuries, in the 19th century, were,
\nindeed, not only vestiges of culture, but also places where extraordinary
\npeople met, who organized various events. So, spa resorts have an extraordinary
\nhistory and a large part of them is located in natural parks, which really
\ngives them even more brilliance. Nowadays, we are talking about a much more
\nsophisticated tourism than before. People come not only for treatments, but
\nalso for walks on tourist routes, some come for canoeing and others for rock
\nclimbing. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The year 2022
\nwas characterized by a bigger flow of tourists to the spa resorts, over 90% of
\nthem being Romanian tourists:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Nicu R\u0103dulescu: Romanians
\nhave begun to rediscover natural treatments in spa resorts. We have noticed
\nthat, while 10-15 years ago the average age of tourists was somewhere over 50,
\nnowadays young people have started to come to spa resorts. Preventive treatment
\nhas a very important role. Almost all 4-star hotels have, in addition to a
\nmodern treatment base that provides treatment for those who have certain
\nailments, spa and wellness centers which are well equipped and where young people
\ncan come to take care of their health. We have tourists aged 20, 30, 35, so the
\naverage tends to get lower. There haven’t been a lot of foreign tourists, about
\n10%, but this was because of the travel restrictions, of the war, of the
\ncomplex problems in Ukraine. Still, Romania is a safe destination and I’m sure
\nin the coming years we will get back to our traditional markets, like Germany,
\nIsrael, France. On the other hand, the Romanian sea coast is in itself a huge
\nspa resort. At present, the Romanian seaside has the most complex natural
\ntreatment elements, including the mud in Techirghiol, the sapropelic coal in
\nEforie, the sea water itself. Our colleagues in Mangalia and those in
\nTechirghiol have achieved a true revolution in terms of spa medicine.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
And here are
\nsome offers as well. In B\u01ceile Herculane, a 7-night stay in a double room in May
\ncosts EUR 540 per person, including a medical checkup and treatment for 5 days
\nas well as full board. In B\u01ceile Felix, a
\n7-night package in a 4-star hotel in a double room reaches EUR 950, complete
\nwith a medical checkup, treatment for 5 days, half board and access to the Aqua Park, saunas and jacuzzi.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Nicu
\nR\u01cedulescu, president of the Romanian Spa Tourism Employers’ Association, says
\nRomania is a quite active member of the European Spa Association:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Nicu R\u0103dulescu: At present,
\nin terms of packages of services, of trained personnel, and of quality, we are
\nat European level. Our colleagues even received awards. In 2022, 3 spa resorts
\nwere on the podium, winning various categories, which is something we could not
\ndo 5-6 years ago. The interest shown by the line ministry in this respect may
\ncontribute to this, and I strongly believe this sector deserves a strong
\ninvestment system through facilities offered by the government. Also, the
\ntraining of our medical personnel is highly respected at European level. We
\nhave very good physiotherapists, very good professionals in the spa area, and
\nbalneology as a science is well developed in Romania. There is a noteworthy
\ntradition in this respect, and the Physical Medicine and Balneology Institute
\nin Bucharest trains outstanding specialists. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
As a rule, spa resorts are
\nlocated in areas with notable tourist potential, so when you book a stay there,
\nyou will have an opportunity to mix treatments with visits to arts and crafts
\ncentres, to various tourist sites and sports activities like hiking. (LS, AMP)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Spa treatments have a long tradition in Romania<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":151164,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43423],"tags":[44297,44004,32930,44299,40433,44298,29229],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-151163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travellers-guide","tag-felix","tag-herculane","tag-resorts","tag-sea-coast","tag-spa","tag-techirghiol","tag-tourism"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n