Romanian tourists have changed
\ntheir preferences in recent years regarding the places they choose to spend the
\nwinter holidays. More and more Romanians prefer to leave home and spend Christmas away, opting for various dynamic activities. There are those who
\nchose to spend Christmas abroad, heading for warm spots such as the Maldives,
\nThailand, Zanzibar, Dubai, the Dominican Republic, Mexico or Egypt. Children’s
\ndestinations such as Lapland or Disneyland, ranked second in terms of
\npreferences. The most sought-after destinations in the country were Bukovina,
\nMaramures, Baile Felix spa and the mountain resorts on Prahova Valley. Those
\nwho wanted something different, longing for the joy of Christmas spent in the
\nold days, opted for guesthouses operating in peasant houses, some of them over
\n150 years old. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
According to the National Association for Ecological, Rural and
\nCultural Tourism in Romania (ANTREC), these houses observe the traditional wood
\nand stone architecture and are kept in mint condition, preserving an archaic
\nmood that is very hard to find, Livia Sima from the Maramures branch of ANTREC told
\nus. Another category of tourists opted for guesthouses located very close to
\nski slopes in the mountains, even if this year we’ve had little to no snow.
\nNevertheless snow cannons and night lighting facilities are operational. Customs
\nand traditions are associated at this time of the year with traditional food
\nand the occasional ride on the village alleys, either by horse-drawn carriage
\nor ATV. At the opposite pole, those who went to Baile Felix spa or similar
\nresorts could enjoy all the thermal water facilities offered. Tourism in
\nRomania reported a good evolution this year, not just around holidays, the
\nNational Statistics Institute reports. The number of arrivals has gone up in
\nthe first 9 months of the year by 4.4%, while some 20% of tourists were foreigners.
\nOver 2 million foreigners visited Romania in the first 9 months of the year,
\nspending some 1.15 billion euros, according to the National Statistics
\nInstitute. Half of them traveled for business, taking part in conferences,
\ncongresses, classes, trade fairs and exhibitions. Foreign tourists spent 50% of
\ntheir money on accommodation, preferring units that offered included breakfast.
\nSome 18% of the money was spent in restaurants and bars, while a little over
\n30% represented gifts and souvenirs.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
(Translated by V. Palcu)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Romanians spent Christmas with their families or visiting various tourist sites<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":108,"featured_media":84179,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[35365,38285,30267,39536],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-84178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-today-in-the-news","tag-foreign-tourists","tag-guesthouses","tag-national-statistics-institute","tag-winter-holidays"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n