Tourist Prospects

Half of Romanians have no intention to go on a holiday this year, and one third have only made plans for 2015. The good news, however, is that those who want to go on holiday prefer Romania to Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece, Germany, Austria, Turkey and Spain. The 31st Tourism Fair started in Bucharest on Thursday, so tour operators should consequently focus on domestic tourism offers and also come up with alluring offers for the countries mainly preferred by tourists.

Roxana Vasile, 14.03.2014, 14:34

Half of Romanians have no intention to go on a holiday this year, and one third have only made plans for 2015. The good news, however, is that those who want to go on holiday prefer Romania to Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece, Germany, Austria, Turkey and Spain. The 31st Tourism Fair started in Bucharest on Thursday, so tour operators should consequently focus on domestic tourism offers and also come up with alluring offers for the countries mainly preferred by tourists.

Talking about domestic tourism, the mayor of the Black Sea port of Constanta, came to the fair to promote the resort of Mamaia. A restored promenade, Rio-like beaches, spectacular shows, a statue at the very entrance of the resort- these are some of the attractions that are meant to convince tourists that Mamaia is the right place to spend their summer holidays.

If Mamaia is the right place for those who like to go clubbing and party all night, the resorts of Eforie Nord and Jupiter are the perfect destinations for families with children. For a few years now, rural and ecological tourism has become popular in Romania as well. This year, ANTREC, the association that promotes this type of tourism, wants to launch a new edition of the special program called “ Holidays in the Countryside”. If they decide to choose one of the 5 thousand guesthouses in Romania, tourists will have the opportunity to discover every day life in a village and to learn about local traditions, culture and hospitality and to enjoy the local cuisine. Actually, culinary tourism may become a brand of Romania, alongside the Black Sea Coast, the Danube Delta, which is on the UNESCO world heritage list, and the monasteries in the north east of the country.

On the other hand, the year 2014 will bring to the forefront the importance of travel safety and quality of services. The National Association of Travel Agencies has established harsher criteria for granting licenses to tour-operators, with the aim of having tourists trust these companies more. Among other things, the companies will have to get a compulsory liability insurance that would secure 100% of the money paid by customers in advance for tourist services and packages. Such insurance policies should have no deductibles and should not include the possibility of payment in installments, for customers to be sure that their money is safe. Also, the minimum share capital that a company needs to function as a tour-operator is to be set at 5,000 Euros.