Mini-holiday for the National Day
Romanian tourists spent their mini-holiday occasioned by the National Day of Romania in various regions of the country
Leyla Cheamil, 04.12.2017, 13:23
Over 88,000 Romanian tourists spent their mini-holiday occasioned by the National Day of Romania in hotels and guesthouses across the country, the Romanian Tourism Employers’ Federation has announced, based on estimates released by its members and on the results of a poll conducted among a large number of tour operators.
The four-day mini-holiday occasioned by the National Day of Romania, December 1, and the Feast of St Andrew, the spiritual protector of the country, celebrated on November 30th, has come to a close. Over 88,000 Romanian tourists spent their days off in hotels and guesthouses across the country, according to estimates made by the Romanian Tourism Employers’ Federation.
A survey issued by the Federation shows the tourists spent some 9.4 million Euros on accommodation and meals. According to the same source, it was for the first time over the last 27 years that city break packages in Romania sold better than those to major European tourist destinations. Unlike the past years, when Romanian tourists chose to travel to European cities for their December 1 mini-holiday, this year some 39,000 Romanians spent these days off in a city in Romania, the most sought-after city-breaks being those in the Transylvanian cities of Alba Iulia, Sibiu, Braşov and Cluj Napoca.
As regards costs, promotional packages for December 1 ranged from some 80 Euros to some 175 Euros per person. Traditional mountain resorts on Prahova Valley, in the south, or Poiana Brasov, in the centre, were almost fully booked. Other favourite tourist destinations included the resorts in Bukovina, north-eastern Romania, and spas.
To enjoy some moments of relaxation, over 20,000 tourists spent their vacation in the mountains, where they enjoyed breathtakingly beautiful winter landscapes, and those of them who chose accommodation in guesthouses enjoyed Romanian traditional dishes, such as “sarmale” (minced meat rolled in cabbage leaves) and “tochitura”, a traditional stew. In another move, the tourists who made their way back home, to return to work on Monday morning, had to face extremely heavy traffic.
Aerial footage showed traffic jams and bumper-to-bumper traffic, particularly upon exiting the resorts on Prahova Valley. Others took advantage of the extended weekend to visit their parents or relatives residing in a different town. That’s why many chose to make one-day trips or to spend this mini-holiday with their friends and relatives. In the big cities, Romania’s National Day was marked by parades, folk and pop-music concerts, film screenings and various events for children.
In Bucharest, the highlight of the day was the already traditional military parade. As of Friday, the inhabitants of the capital city can enjoy winter lights along the main boulevards. Over three million lights decorate the capital city this year, and the prevailing patterns are inspired by Romanian traditional motifs. A Christmas Fair has been opened in downtown Bucharest, which includes a “food and drink” area, over 100 huts selling traditional products and a skating rink.
