Romania
Tourism Plan 2007-2026
Projects
Tourist Information Centers
Priority Projects
The need for an improved Tourist Information Centre (TIC) network has been recognized and a specific allocation for its development has been made in the EU Structural Funds.
Policies
The first phase priority is to improve and consolidate the product in areas that are currently most popular with international tourism and where the tourism facilities and infrastructure generally exist.
TICs are a valuable resource to provide on the spot information and influence visitors' choices. They can help extend length of stay and also encourage repeat visits.
Winter Sports
Bucharest for City Breaks
Apart from being a major business travel destination Bucharest has great appeal for leisure tourists.
Winter sports have become very fashionable in Romania in recent years. This has resulted in rapid development of ski and other facilities in many mountain regions often without adequate planning.
Tourists also expect the TIC to be able to make accommodation reservations and sell event tickets.
There are a number of actions, which will encourage this development, including:
• The provision of a Tourist Information Centre;
• A central booking facility for events;
• A hop-on hop-off city sightseeing tour operation;
To improve viability of existing resorts and prevent uneconomic further development the following is recommended:
• Research into future market demand;
• Stricter planning controls on winter sports developments to ensure market demand, no adverse environmental impacts and adequate local supporting infrastructure;
Micro-projects
Health spa resorts
Black Sea coast resorts and Constanta
Public policies represent a series of activities carried out by specialized central public administration, primarily aimed at solving the identified public policy problems.
In most spas the infrastructure, whether private or public sector owned, is in a very poor condition.
Micro-projects implemented by either local consortia or trade associations are encouraged by the Ministry of Tourism and, where possible, supported from different funds.
The coastal resorts are experiencing a decrease in visitor traffic as the product offer has failed to match increased visitor expectations.
In order to assist with the regeneration of spa resorts the following action is to be taken:
• Research into the domestic and foreign market demand for traditional spa treatment.
• Development of marketing campaigns by the NTO and spa resorts to identified market segments.
• Vesting of the concessions for the distribution of spring waters, muds, gases and other natural therapeutic resources with local authorities to ensure equitable access for the common good.
With fragmented ownership and no clear strategic direction the seaside resorts have found it difficult to respond to changing markets and have suffered as a result.
The Danube Delta for ecotourism
The cruise traffic on the Danube has been increasing rapidly and giving many tourists their first impressions of Romania.
To enhance these visitors' experience the following action is required:
• Provision of a central information point for cruise operators to communicate ship manifests, etc.
• Coordination of harbor fees and charges into a uniform system that is competitive with other Danube countries;
• Specific training in environmental protection conservation and ecology;
• Marking tourist tracings in the mountain area;
• Depollution, sign posting, protection works in scientific reservations;
• Afforestation works;
• Depollution actions in Danube Delta.
The public policy documents are: the plan, the strategy and the public policy proposal.
Introduction
The Public Policy Unit
within the Ministry of Regional Development and Tourism has attributions in the field of elaboration, monitoring and evaluation of public policies, according to Government Decision no. 775/2005
At the same time it ensures the secretariat of the Management Group.
Strategy
Program
The National Tourism Development Master Plan will only become viable if it is implemented in a timely fashion. It is not sufficient for just some elements of the plan to be actioned.
This Master Plan has been elaborated by a team of World Tourism Organization experts in conjunction with Romanian counterparts on behalf of the Government of Romania. It seeks to embrace the principles of sustainable tourism development as defined by the World Tourism Organization.
Three mechanisms for implementing the Master Plan were identified: sustainable destinations, sustainable businesses and responsible tourists.
Sustainable destinations
Sustainable Business
Responsible Tourists
The quality of tourism services is supported by the implementation of ISO standards, ISO 9001 for the quality management, ISO 14001 for the environment management, HACCP, a quality control system for catering services.
Values
Within the Program for the sustainable development of enterprises in Romania with focus on enhancing national expertise in CP (Clean Production) and CSR (Corporate Social Responsability) methodologies in particular for the tourism industry, there will be organized 2 training for Destination Management Organization.
The Ministry for Environment elaborated in 2008 the Guide for Eco – Tourist which includes useful recommendations for protecting the environment during holidays in the mountains, at the seaside, in urban and rural environment and transport.
Vision
Implementation Group comprises:
• State Secretary for Tourism – Chairman
• 10 members representing Ministries, regional and local authorities and main private sector disciplines
• NTA General Director Development – Secretary
The National Tourism Organization will be constituted as a semi-autonomous body under the chairmanship of the State Secretary appointed by the Minister with responsibility for tourism with the brand name "Romania Tourism".
It will have a Chief Executive Officer reporting to a Board comprising representatives of the tourism industry and public sector under the chairmanship of the State Secretary.
For supporting sustainable hotel management, there was developed the project Sustainable Development of Tourism Cleaner Production and Corporate Social Responsibility, a United Nations Industrial Development Organization project, implemented together with the National R&D Institute for Industrial Ecology (INCD EcoInd) and Opportunity Associates-Romania.
• A holistic and integrated approach
• Long term planning
• Achieving an appropriate pace and rhythm of development
• Involving all stakeholders
• Using best available knowledge
• Ecological view - reflecting impacts in costs – user and polluter pays
• Undertaking continuous monitoring
Establish Romania as a quality tourism destination based on its natural and cultural heritage which matches EU standards of product and service delivery by 2013 and to generate environmentally sustainable growth in tourism at a rate in excess of other European destinations.
Sustainable tourism assumptions
Aims and Objectives
Measures
The pristine environment is perhaps Romania's greatest asset as a tourism destination.
Actions for sustainable development stated in the Action Plan cover areas such as: waste, water management, air quality, planning, promotion etc.
• To establish a heightened awareness both domestically and internationally of Romania's positive appeals as a tourist destination and its tourism brand image;
• To ensure that tourism is developed in a sustainable manner so that the environmental, cultural and heritage appeals are both appreciated today and preserved for future generations;
• Create a separate independent NGO body to initiate, organize and coordinate Tourism Awareness Training and Industry Upgrading Training through its mobile training team by the end of 2007.
• Develop general tourism awareness and visitor satisfaction for industry staff by 2008.
• Establish a national tourism database operational by 2008.
• To train and assist major national museums and monuments in improving their visitor facilities, especially welcome and interpretation and marketing, as an example to all such monuments.
• To assist the development of ecotourism in the Danube Delta, national parks and reserves and rural areas legislation;
• To remove the health
and safety risk posed by stray dogs in Bucharest - 50% reduction in hospital dog bite admissions.
• Attract domestic and international investment into the Romanian tourism sector by 2009.
1. Economic prosperity
2. Social equity and cohesion
3. Environmental and cultural protection
Ecotourism is not a mass or a basic tourist activity, however, this form of tourism is a vital way for Romania due to a number of issues:
• ecotourism is specific to low-income communities so that impact on people in those communities is relatively high
• traditional lifestyle of host communities is at risk so that ecotourism is an important means of supporting these traditions.
• the practice of ecotourism depends directly and contribute to the protection and preservation of natural areas, flora and fauna
• natural resources and socio-cultural underpinning Ecotourism in Romania are features that distinguish it from other countries in the region.
Students
Alexandra Chirita
Andreea Matei
Denisa Radulescu
Ramona Manolache