Organized twice every year, Romania’s Travel Fair is the biggest local event devoted to the tourism industry. Year after year, the most beautiful tourist areas in Romania are promoted by tourism associations and local public administrations. Over November 21-24, visitors had access to a wide range of promotional packages, exclusive discounts and ideas for holidays fitting all tastes and budgets.
Neamț County Council was represented jointly with its partners, the Târgu Neamț City Hall and the “Hai la Piatra” Piatra Neamț Destination Management Organization. Mona Ţigănuş, the Head of Neamț County Tourism Administration told us more.
“We really want to promote the wealth of resources of our county online, but also here physically, at the Travel Fair. As always, we come up with new offers. This time we brought to Bucharest the picturesque and historical Neamț. It is our nomination for the travel destination of 2024. It was highly voted and appreciated by the public. This time, we brought, for example, folk customs from Borlești, with our colleagues baking goodies right in front of the visitors, who are welcome to take part themselves, if they like. We’ve brought along the folk craftsman Ionela Lungu, who recreates Ion Creangă’s characters, modeling them in clay and presenting traditional objects made of sculpted wood”.
Ionela Lungu, a folk craftsman, always ready to tell stories about the protagonists in Ion Creangă’s stories, says that tourists were very receptive.
“I came with Păcală, Moș Ion Roată, represented as hand-shaped huma sticks. I was invited to this travel fair to represent Neamț County as a folk craftsman. I realized that stories can also be ambassadors of the Neamț area, because anyone passing by the stand, and not necessarily Romanians, even foreigners who had come from neighboring stands, Bulgaria, India or Turkey, stopped and asked me about them, saying they were very nice. I liked their reaction, but I told them that, in fact, although they are characters from stories, because I live two houses away from Ion Creangă’s house and they somehow resemble my relatives, in fact, all these characters are us, Romanians. At a certain point, we were either Dănilă Prepeleac or Aunt Mărioara. We all experienced the events described by the storyteller, each at a time”.
Ana Voican deals with active tourism in Romania and the organization of events in this segment. She told us that Romania is a very attractive destination from this point of view, through its extraordinary geographical diversity. Moreover, there are year-round opportunities to learn more about active Romania.
“Whenever you want, you can find something to do and to choose from. The areas you can go to are very attractive in this regard. In winter, we look for snow sports opportunities, but not only that. Until the first snowfall of the year, we can still choose bike tours in Dealul Mare, for example, near Bucharest, where we can visit wineries. We can opt for an easy route, 20 km, with an altitude difference of 200 meters, therefore, suitable for both adults and children. We visit objectives of the area, but we can also stop at wineries, for a tasting session, to enjoy brunches and parties with friends and family. Starting December 1, the slopes are expected to open, so we start skiing and snowboarding. We can head to resorts on Prahova Valley, but also to Straja and Păltiniș, where parties and very unique competitions are usually organized throughout the winter season, which address all consumers of such sports. We organize parties both during the day and in the evening, for those who want to enjoy the view of the slopes at night. In our resorts in Romania, we can enjoy both traditions and the decorated Christmas tree. We can listen to carols, wait for Santa Claus to come, but during the day we can go hiking and get to know the objectives of the respective area.”
Alina Roșoiu, project manager at a local tourism platform, outlined some tempting offers for the winter holidays.
“A three-star hotel in Vâlcea County, more precisely in the Băile Olănești area, offers accommodation with full board, the New Year’s party and activities such as nature walks and live music. There are offers for all budgets. The price of a package starts at 300 EUR for two people for a two-night stay and increases depending on the number of nights. It can reach up to 360 EUR or 400 EUR for a double room, all included. As a novelty this year, because New Year’s Eve is approaching and maybe some of us have made other plans, but we want to try something else, here is another suggestion. In the Danube Gorges area, a New Year’s Eve is organized according to the old calendar, with Serbian traditions, in a three-star guesthouse, with a campfire, with spit roasts, trails on Ciucaru Mare mountain, with activities such as treasure hunts. Rates here start at 780 EUR. Also, everything is included, both accommodation, the meals and the party, the event with DJ, dances and various workshops that the accommodation unit organizes for future guests”. (VP)
