Radio România Internațional

Tag: tourism

  • Wine-growing tourism in Romania

    Wine-growing tourism in Romania

    Romania has a very generous offer of vast vineyards
    and beautiful wine cellars, fascinating stories of genuine treasures that await the wine
    lovers. Moreover, these wine cellars can be visited as part of several special
    programs which include walks around the vineyards, detailed info on the
    wine-making process and, more important than all that, wine tasting sessions.


    This week’s edition of Traveler’s Guide
    spins the yarn of a different experience, that of the legends told till late at
    night, in a picturesque setting.


    Alina Iancu is the founder of Romania’s Wine
    Cellars project. Alina is also a promoter of the local wines and of the
    wine-growing tourism. Alina told us the number accommodation units at the wine cellars
    but also in the surrounding areas has been on the rise, as of late.


    From this
    particular viewpoint, as against the last two, maybe three years, we fare much
    better. We have only one association, which is active, the Dealu Mare Wine
    Cellars Association. There are around 15 wine cellars in the association and several
    times a year they organize the Open Gates Day. Which means that a couple of wine
    cellars can be visited the same day with no previous appointment. There are a great
    many wine cellars, from the Dealu Mare vineyard, Dragasani or even from Transylvania, that began to stage festive events, be they live
    concerts at the wine cellar, or the Wine Cellar Day, celebrated at a certain
    moment in time, or the Grape Harvest Day. And then, when you know there are several
    wine cellars in a region, you’re aware you need to be able to plan your weekend.
    To this wine cellar you go for the grape harvest, while to that one, you go to
    enjoy the vineyard. There are a couple of vineyards that have started to associate
    with other local producers, be they cheesemakers or producers of meat specialties.
    And then, apart from a wine-growing experience, you can also have a culinary
    experience. To that end, we’ve got much more work to do, yet the local
    producers in certain areas have begun to put their produce together and present
    them to the people visiting their households.


    While visiting a wine cellar, tourists are
    initiated in the art and technique of wine tasting and can also listen to its tale.
    When their visit is about to end, the guests of the wine cellar can have a
    stopover at the souvenir shop, available to them with souvenirs in a liquid
    state. The initiator of Romania’s Wine Cellars project, Alina Iancu, told us
    wine growing tourism goes perfectly with other forms of tourism.


    Being welcomed at the wine cellar also
    means a brief presentation of the technological process, a sight-seeing tour where
    you are shown the hall where the grapes a reprocessed, the maturation area with
    the barrels, which is the strongest point of attraction, then the wine tasting
    session begins. As a rule, five sorts of wine are tasted, and some of them can
    also go with other produce. A visit to a wine cellar lasts for about one hour
    and a half. However, winegrowing tourism also goes with active tourism. More often
    than not, cycling or running activities are organized. That happens at national
    level as in the long run, you can enjoy the scenery, while in the end, when you
    reach your destination, you can also enjoy a glass of wine. Romania is
    well-known for its white as well as for its red wines, yet that has been gaining
    ground, quality-wise, as in recent years a great many new wine cellars have cropped
    up and in Romania, not only have they improved their quality, but also, the
    wine cellars already put themselves on the market with quality wines. Emphasis
    is laid, by all means, on the local sorts, on the indigenous sports, while
    quality is sensibly improving.


    Apart from the wine
    tasting sessions at the wine cellars, tourists can also enjoy taking part in
    events staged in the big cities across Romania, Alina Iancu also said. For example,
    the second edition of the Revino Gourmet Salon is held in Bucharest, over October
    21 and 23rd.

    Alina
    Iancu:


    We bring over wine makers, producers of craft beer, but also cheese makers
    and producers of meat specialties. So, you go the whole hog when you have this
    gastronomic experience, you can make the most of it for a couple of days running,
    what with the fact that it is smack bang in the middle of the capital city. Such
    events are staged in the big cities across the country, each year. It is a
    start, in a bid to have wine sorts go with the local produce, while this event is
    not only for the visiting public. Local producers need to met other local
    producers, because that is the only way we can enhance the value of the
    produce, and that of the place. Whenever we introduce a wine sort and point to
    a sort of local cheese that best goes with it, the story is a much more complex
    wine. In the build-up to all that, there are several factors, people and
    places, while the taste is a much stronger one, when more products are being laid
    out, all of them hailing from the same region.


    There are a great many
    tourists who come to the wine cellars. However, quite a few of them travel to Romania
    for business purposes. Such people would like to have a special experience at the
    weekend.


    There
    are very few tourists who come for the wine-growing part alone. However, in such
    vineyards as the ones in Dealul Mare, Drăgășani or even
    in Transylvania, very many foreign tourists dedicate their weekends to such
    visits and it goes without saying they’re impressed with what they see as,
    first of all, they ‘re not aware Romania is a great producer of wines, and secondly,
    they are impressed with the quality of the wine. Besides, wine-growing tourism
    can be done all year round. Any time of the year has its own flavor, yet the
    most sought-after are the months of May all through to October, when nature and
    the temperature readings allow you to enjoy other experiences than the
    wine-tasting one. What we need to know, though, is that early booking in needed
    and usually we take groups of visitors made of at least six people.


    If you access the Crame Romania platform, you can get info on
    the wine cellars, the particular places where they are located, as well as info
    on the indigenous sorts and, in general, on how a wine sort can be tasted. The founder
    of Romania’s Wine Cellars project, Alina Iancu, year after year, invites tourists
    to get acquainted with Romania’s wines and wine cellars.


    It’s been ten years since
    we promote wine-growing tourism. We also need the public to be more and more interested,
    as the experience is unique and the local producers have also accommodation
    places on offer, as well as special dedicated rooms and special personnel, more
    and more dedicated. You should be anxious to know, as soon as you reach Romania,
    according to the area you may find ourselves in, you should be anxious enough to ask whether
    there are wine cellars nearby, since the places you’re about to visit and the
    wines you’re about to taste, all that is well worth the while !


    We have already extended our invitation! Next
    week’s edition takes you to Mures, the Romanian county with the greatest number
    of castles and mansions.

  • Cultural tourism in Romania

    Cultural tourism in Romania

    The interest has been growing, in Romania, for the old noble residences, in recent years. Whether we speak about the increasing number of those who are anxious enough to set about roaming the villages in search of old manor houses, of whether it’s about the entrepreneurs who embark themselves upon the adventure of restoring such buildings to their pristine beauty, a trend can be noticed, whose widening scope targets the rediscovery of Romania’s out-of-town nobles’ castles and residences. If we take into account the built cultural heritage market, Romania has a very great Advantage. Or at least that’s a what the president of the ARCHÉ Association, Alina Chiciudean, says.



    We have natural landscapes with absolutely unique anthropic elements. The people I meet belong to the category of tourists who are in search of something a little bit more than the star-monuments. Were we a standard tourism agency, we would most likely visit Bucharest, we would take a one-day trip somewhere on the Prahova valley, ticking the Bran Castle, the Peles Castle and, if the case, the Danube Delta, if we have enough time on our hands. Instead, we offer authentic experiences, which means that, if we also head from Bucharest to the North, we can have a stopover at the Cantacuzino Estate in Florești. Located nearby Ploiesti, it is an impressive estate, with a surface area of 150 hectares, it is a former hunting park, with a promenade park, a main building and the outhouses. There we would not visit the place only; we would not just take a walk around the beautiful estate. Tourists can get to know members of the local community, children and youngsters in the commune where they turn up every week, whenever an activity is on offer, staged by the foundation that manages the estate, and that is how they can have the chance to discover the real Romania and can make the most of the freshness of ideas of those who have been living in the rural regions all their lives and whose connection with nature is different, they have a different angle of seeing things. I think it is the most beautiful and the most rewarding experience in tourism. Many times I’ve been asked to offer such experiences, mainly by our partners in Europe.



    In north-eastern Romania’s Iasi County there is the Tibanesti commune. Here we have an architecture monument that stands out, which was built in the early 19th century. It was erected by the Carp family of boyars, hailing from the Baltic countries and settling there in the 16th century. It is another place where becoming familiar with the heritage ties in with the journey into the local craftsmen’s fascinating universe. Here is the president of the ARCHÉ Association, Alina Chiciudean, once again.



    There, one year after the next, friends and partners of ours stage events, organize a summer school and have a complete multiannual program under the heading We strike the iron at the manor house. Were we to go there, we will most likely met craftsmen who do their work proper so we can have the fully-fledged experience of that. It is an experience where you can see the craftsman in his workshop and then you can have the chance to see that some of the elements there are little by little integrated into the process of the building which is a historical monument. Hopping from one part of Romania to the other, to southern Transylvania’s Apos locality, tourists who come with their families can write the names of their children themselves, on a tile manufactured by a traditional craftsman. We have a great many options. The thing is to seek that particular sort of activity, which has been more and more appreciated. Through the arch over time connecting those who have always lived like that to today’s, truly beautiful and rewarding things can come out of that, especially for the younger generation.



    The ARCHÉ Association is a non-governmental, non-profit organization carrying research, preservation, highlighting and promotion activities for the cultural heritage. As part of this organization’s activity, the only program has been developed, for the rediscovery of Romania’s less well-known castles, under the heading Castle Break. It happened ten years ago. At present, the big tourism agencies try to integrate those monuments, some of them being refurbished, in the packages they offer their clients. Actually, the profile of the tourist has changed throughout the years, says the president of the ARCHÉ Association, Alina Chiciudean.



    What I can say, though, at least as far as the post-pandemic period of time is concerned, is that people no longer seek a purely aesthetic discovery, they also want to leave their mark on the beautiful spot they’ve reached. Lat year, even two years ago, we came up with many such initiatives, so that the tourist can become a gardener for a whole afternoon, after we’ d got the required approvals. Works in a historical garden, that cannot be done by just anybody, so the experience is all the more precious given it complies with all the procedures and standards in place. Therefore, in autumn and in spring, we plant, we clean a garden and we’re aware our presence and visit on the premises will surely be felt there, and are there to last. That’s where the beauty of the heritage lies. Once you arrive in such a place, you realize you have hundreds of years of work in front of you, of work whose progress has been achieved little by little, in the buildup to the estate or the monument you hit upon. So what we have here is a kind of involvement tourism, while foreign tourists search for that in particular. They are quite used to participate, to have a quite active life. They’re young people, they’re still strong, and then, in turn, we try to offer them, in Romania, such standardized experiences, but that happens upon request, most of the time. We have an interdisciplinary team, architects, historians, art historians, PR specialists, we have all the professions related to cultural heritage. We can join them all along and explain true stories and not just fairy tales or legends of the place. They will learn something and will have something to eat straight from the farmer nearby or from the local cuisine. Some work will be done in the garden, for a little while, outdoors. Of course, beautiful photos, unavoidably, will also be there, but the experience is complete.



    Speaking about tourists’ reaction upon their departure from Romania, here is the president of the ARCHÉ Association, Alina Chiciudean, once again, this time relishing in reminiscing a professional development project of the youngsters who chose heritage-related jobs for their career. Back then Alina accompanied a group from the Low Countries, who were on a sightseeing tour of Bucharest city center.



    The visit was not guided by someone exclusively specializing in tourism guidance, but by one of our colleagues, an architect, specializing in creative writing in London. They never imagined Bucharest had so many things to offer. The mix of styles, of cultures, people’s generosity to offer explanations, all that make a kind of experience which very powerful for those who arrive in Romania. They are very pleasantly surprised with what they’ve found and perhaps that’s where the beauty lies, of Romania and its places, that including the capital city. That may come as something surprising for the people, as on the website you cannot make sense of what’s in store for you. And maybe the feature we’re doing together right now does not clearly reveal what they can find there. Rather, it is obvious you need to show up with your heart open and allow yourself to be surprised.



    As we speak, roughly one thousand out-of-town urban residences of the local elites, from the 16th to the first half of the 20th century are preserved on the territory of Romania. Some of them have been restored, some are degrading, while others are the bone of contention for inheritors in various lawsuits. Castles can also be found in cities, some of them housing museums or playing host to various events.(EN)




  • Carpathian Mountains’ flora and fauna

    Carpathian Mountains’ flora and fauna

    There
    is a growing number of tourists who are set to discover the Carpathian
    Mountains’ wildlife, thanks to several special tours they’re willing to take in
    the mountains. Going on such tours enables them to understand hidden details,
    to watch the wild animals in their own habitat, while in the summer, tourists
    can enjoy the beauty of the Carpathian Mountains’ flora. Tours can be personalized
    and completed with visit in the rural regions, to the traditional craftsmen or
    to several tourist assets of a particular area.


    Cosmin Zgremția is a forestry engineer by profession. Since
    2014, he has also been a specialized flora and fauna guide. Ever since he was a
    child, Cosmin imagined the forest resembled an outdoor museum. Later on, he
    found out Romania had a surface area of 6.5 million hectares of forest, an
    immense surface area, that is, which he himself, as a forestry engineer, could
    have never imagined as a whole. Therefore, given the country’s so great
    forested area, Romania has become increasingly known, internationally, as a destination
    of exploration of the natural wildlife.


    Cosmin Zgremția:


    I have been doing sylvan tourism, which
    is part of ecotourism, and I do believe in the value of conservation through
    eco-education. Actually, I ended up being a tourism guide out of love for
    nature and thanks to my profession. I was quick to discover that those auxiliary
    services which according to us are attached to silviculture were poorly put to good
    use by my fellow forestry workers. In 2011, when I was a hunting fund manager as
    part of Brasov Municipal City’s Hunting Fund, I came up with the idea of opening
    to the lay public the hunting observatories for bear observation tours. That’s
    how my tourism career started. Gradually, I have grown fond of that, more and
    more. I noticed I had a penchant for explaining all those intimate details of bears’
    lives, and of the forest in general. So I decided, having resigned from the
    position I had with the Forestry Directorate, to dedicate my entire life and
    activity to that particular field of ecotourism.


    All
    visits Cosmin has been organizing are thematic visits.


    One such tour enables visitors to observe the wildlife fauna. What we do,
    actually, is follow the animals’ traces. We stand a 90% observation chance for
    the common species and 10% for the protected species: bear, wolf, wild cat.
    Another tour gets us explore the rural environment, it is part of a thematic
    visit blending details about trees, plant species into details pertaining to
    the Romanian cultural identity. Another tour takes you on a visit to a chalet.
    Such a visit is made in the company of a specialized guide, a nature scientist, and
    includes several stopovers. The most popular visit is the thematic walk through
    the forest. It is like a safari where you have
    stopovers every ten meters. Plant species are observed, certain bird species,
    even insects. I have been trying to speak about each separate species. I want
    to involve everybody. Therefore, the experience is like an outdoor documentary,
    where participants really get involved. It is a giant leap we take, from watching
    a documentary on the telly to actually being part of it. The most spectacular option
    could be a tour in the Fagaras Mountains. Its difficulty is a little bit
    greater, but you can have the chance to watch the bears but also the chamois,
    in the wildlife. Practically, each time we go out in the wilderness I use the environment
    to offer tourists the required info and instil the love of nature in them, at
    once pursuing my aim, eventually, that of eco-education.


    Some of the tourist who opt for such wildlife observation
    tours also have the required photo technique. They are keen on having snapshots
    of bears, woodpeckers and even wolves in their natural environment. With details
    on that, here is our guide today, Cosmin Zgremtia, once again.


    Each species can be taken pictures
    of. There are optimum periods, for taking pictures or for observation. For example,
    you stand very little chances to photograph a bear in the wilderness, in winter.
    Therefore, the bears’ photographing season usually begins on April the 10th
    and ends on September 15, when the bears retire for their winter slumbers. Actually,
    latterly, towards winter, bears are less active during the day and more active during
    the night, before they retire. If they want to live a wild experience, my guests
    need to have the minimum required equipment for hiking. Which means boots with
    a grippy sole, proper trousers, three layers of clothing, for the abdomen and
    the chest and something to cover their head with. As for my challenge as a
    guide, I want to have in-shape tourists.


    First of all, tourists are always impressed with the
    information they get. Cosmin Zgremtia once again:

    Secondly, they are impressed by the interaction
    with the wildlife, with the forest as such, what also impressed them is the way
    they felt they connected to nature. And, thirdly, they are impressed by the way
    I treated them and how they felt among the locals. In the tours I offer, I try
    to integrate my guests in the naturel environment but also in out authentic Romanian
    community. In effect, I am trying to offer Romania an identity
    as regards its natural resources, but also culture-wise. Most of the tourists
    come from Great Britain, they are followed by French and Italian tourists, but
    we also had guests from Australia, even from New Zealand and even from North America,
    the United States.


    Cosmin told us most of the tourists he accompanied were
    foreign and that he would like the Romanian tourists to take an interest in such
    tours. However, such an interest may stem from a certain kind of education in
    the field of tourism.


    Practically, most of my tourists are
    foreign citizens because they already have that particular upbringing, that
    kind of education. They can identify the key words in the description
    of the tourist programs and are quick to accept a trip into the wild. Moreover, the foreign tourists’ faith in a tourist
    guide is stronger.


    If you contact the national tourism information and promotion
    centres across Romania, especially those located close by the nature or
    national parks, you’re sure to get data about a tourist guide who can accompany
    you in the exploration of nature, so that you can have a truly special
    experience. (EN)

  • Alba Iulia, Romania’s other capital city

    Alba Iulia, Romania’s other capital city

    We’re heading today, towards Transylvania. We want to
    hit our destination, dubbed Romania’s other capital city, the town of Alba Iulia, which
    stands out thanks to its Vauban-type fortress, built in the 18th century, in
    the shape of a star. The fortress in Alba Iulia is described as Europe’s second most relevant such
    settlement, being outranked by a similar fortress in Luxembourg. Here you can also
    find the Batthyaneum, a library extremely well-stocked in rare
    manuscripts. However, we shall also discover a modern town, with an eventful
    cultural agenda. Our destination today boasts Romania’s strongest national
    symbolism. Or at least that is what the mayor of Alba Iulia municipal town, Gabriel
    Pleșa, told us.


    It is here that the first Union
    of 1600 was accomplished, under the scepter of Michael the Brave. Then, in 1918, the December 1st Great Union
    Act was accomplished; it was Romanians’ centuries-old dream come true.
    Also on October 15, 1922, the confirmation of the Romanian unitary state was achieved
    through the coronation, in Alba Iulia, of King Ferdinand
    I and Queen Mary, a centennial which in 2018 we celebrated with great pomp and
    loads of people attending. These are three key moments of the town and of the
    Romanian people! However, our listeners need to know Alba Iulia has been
    documented more than 2,000 years ago. Every step you take in the city, you’re literally
    treading on history. Part of the Roman castrum was preserved and also art of the medieval fortress, while the gem
    of the town is, obviously, the most recent fortification, the one the Austrians
    erected over 1715 and 1728, the Alba Carolina fortress, built after Vauban’s
    plans. It is a very well-kept fortress, with forts, counterforts, with bastions.

    The Princes’ Palace, just like many other monuments in Alba
    Iulia, has an old history, linked to figureheads and events that where highly consequential
    for the history of Transylvania and even for the history of Europe. The edifice
    is representative for the Transylvanian Principality’s days of glory when for
    more than 150 years, the fate of the region was decided in Alba Iulia. At the moment, restoration works are in full swing for
    the Princes’ Palace.

    Gabriel Plesa once
    again:


    All historians who were
    here doing their research told us it would be Transylvania’s most important building.
    It was here that the Transylvanian Assembly was held for 160 ago. Also, it was here
    that we had the Throne Hall for Michael the Brave, the Enlightenment Princes Gabriel
    Bethlen and Rákóczi I, Rákóczi al II-lea, Sigismund Báthory. Practically, it
    was the town of Alba Iulia’s opening towards education through its first university,
    established 400 years ago by Enlightenment prince Gabriel Bethlen prior to the battle of Mohács and the
    principality’s falling under the sway of the Ottomans. It is a very important one,
    the period after the conquest of the Transylvanian principality by the Habsburgs,
    it was a time when roads were built, the fortress was built, a network of
    railways was built, and so many other things.


    Here is mayor Gabriel Plesa once again, this time telling us we’re
    always in for pleasant surprises in Alba Iulia. Also, Gabriel Plesa announced the
    inauguration of a new tourist asset in town.


    We have been carrying a project through which we have already started works for the restoration of the house that belonged to the town’s first
    Romanian mayor after 1918, lawyer Camil Velican. It is a house that will be
    smack bang in the center of the town and which will also be a new tourist asset. Actually,
    it was here that, in the days ahead of the Great Union, all the official documents were signed. The Steering Council, The National Romanian Council, carried all its
    works in the Velicans’ house. That house was nationalized
    during the communist regime, being ceded to various institutions and throughout
    the years, its level of degradation was very high. We bought it from an
    inheritor, and from the bottom of our hearts we hope we can refurbish it. We got
    hold of part of the original furniture, part of the furniture is with Romania’s
    Museum of National History in Bucharest and they promised we shall receive it,
    since they did not have it exhibited, so there we are, it will be a new
    attraction for those travelling to Alba Iulia.


    The town of Alba Iulia is well-known thanks to the events
    staged to celebrated the National Day of Romania, on December 1st.
    However, the town’s cultural agenda goes way beyond that.

    Gabriel Plesa:


    If you want to keep your tourists, you cannot
    just offer them only vestiges, since they come, they see, return to their cars
    and drive away. Reason enough for us to have a list of beautiful events, for which
    we gave the start when we had the Museum’ Night on May 13. On June the 1st we have the Land of happiness, a playing
    festival. We have a Super Rally first leg in Alba Iulia. It will be a circuit, just
    lie in Monaco, on the municipal town streets and the interest for that seems to
    be very high. Then we stage Alba Fest, the Days of the Town over June 23 and
    25th. There are three days of fine concerts and many other events, we
    have thew Feast of Music, held over July 14 and 16. Again, there are three days
    of good music. We stage Rowmania, the rowing
    contest on river Mures, initially staged by the late Ivan Patzaichin, a friend
    of the town of Alba Iulia. Over August 11 and 15, you are
    invited to the Apulum Roman Festival. There will be 300-400 actors for the historical
    reenactment and over 20, 25 troupes from all over the world will come to Alba Iulia
    for combat demos, they will exhibit their apparel and the trades, the old crafts.
    As an absolute first, we stage the European Historical Target Archery Championship.
    Over August 4 and 13, you can see several hundreds of athletes, arriving from all
    over the world. The contest will be held in the area of the fortress.


    These are only a few of the events staged throughout the
    year! And rounding them off is the weekly performance provided by the changing
    of guards in Alba Iulia Fortress. With
    details on that, here is the mayor of Alba Iulia Municipality, Gabriel Plesa.


    The Austrian guard of the
    fortress built by the Habsburgs is active on Saturdays and Sundays at 12 pm.
    We’re most likely going to extend the program, on Tuesdays and Wednesday ,during
    holidays and vacations. Then on Fridays, at 7 pm, in front of the fourth gate,
    in front of the Roman-Catholic Cathedral, the re-enactment show will be held,
    featuring gladiators and those of the 13th Gemina Legion. The show
    is extremely popular, we stage it jointly with the Living History NGO, with some
    of the employees of the National Museum of the Union but also with very, very
    many volunteers. We mull over staging a similar event in the future: the triumphant
    entrance of Michael the Brave in Alba Iulia. We’re still considering how we’re
    going to do that and how often. It was a key moment, that of November 1st,
    1599, when after the battle of Selimbar Michael the Brave entered Alba Iulia.


    Accessing the site turism.apulum.ro, you can get details
    on the historical objectives, you can see the timetable of the events ad you will
    get info on the public transportation conditions or accommodation recommendations.







  • Cultural tourism in Romania

    Cultural tourism in Romania

    The interest has been growing, in Romania, for the old noble residences, in recent years. Whether we speak about the increasing number of those who are anxious enough to set about roaming the villages in search of old manor houses, of whether it’s about the entrepreneurs who embark themselves upon the adventure of restoring such buildings to their pristine beauty, a trend can be noticed, whose widening scope targets the rediscovery of Romania’s out-of-town nobles’ castles and residences. If we take into account the built cultural heritage market, Romania has a very great Advantage. Or at least that’s a what the president of the ARCHÉ Association, Alina Chiciudean, says.



    We have natural landscapes with absolutely unique anthropic elements. The people I meet belong to the category of tourists who are in search of something a little bit more than the star-monuments. Were we a standard tourism agency, we would most likely visit Bucharest, we would take a one-day trip somewhere on the Prahova valley, ticking the Bran Castle, the Peles Castle and, if the case, the Danube Delta, if we have enough time on our hands. Instead, we offer authentic experiences, which means that, if we also head from Bucharest to the North, we can have a stopover at the Cantacuzino Estate in Florești. Located nearby Ploiesti, it is an impressive estate, with a surface area of 150 hectares, it is a former hunting park, with a promenade park, a main building and the outhouses. There we would not visit the place only; we would not just take a walk around the beautiful estate. Tourists can get to know members of the local community, children and youngsters in the commune where they turn up every week, whenever an activity is on offer, staged by the foundation that manages the estate, and that is how they can have the chance to discover the real Romania and can make the most of the freshness of ideas of those who have been living in the rural regions all their lives and whose connection with nature is different, they have a different angle of seeing things. I think it is the most beautiful and the most rewarding experience in tourism. Many times I’ve been asked to offer such experiences, mainly by our partners in Europe.



    In north-eastern Romania’s Iasi County there is the Tibanesti commune. Here we have an architecture monument that stands out, which was built in the early 19th century. It was erected by the Carp family of boyars, hailing from the Baltic countries and settling there in the 16th century. It is another place where becoming familiar with the heritage ties in with the journey into the local craftsmen’s fascinating universe. Here is the president of the ARCHÉ Association, Alina Chiciudean, once again.



    There, one year after the next, friends and partners of ours stage events, organize a summer school and have a complete multiannual program under the heading We strike the iron at the manor house. Were we to go there, we will most likely met craftsmen who do their work proper so we can have the fully-fledged experience of that. It is an experience where you can see the craftsman in his workshop and then you can have the chance to see that some of the elements there are little by little integrated into the process of the building which is a historical monument. Hopping from one part of Romania to the other, to southern Transylvania’s Apos locality, tourists who come with their families can write the names of their children themselves, on a tile manufactured by a traditional craftsman. We have a great many options. The thing is to seek that particular sort of activity, which has been more and more appreciated. Through the arch over time connecting those who have always lived like that to today’s, truly beautiful and rewarding things can come out of that, especially for the younger generation.



    The ARCHÉ Association is a non-governmental, non-profit organization carrying research, preservation, highlighting and promotion activities for the cultural heritage. As part of this organization’s activity, the only program has been developed, for the rediscovery of Romania’s less well-known castles, under the heading Castle Break. It happened ten years ago. At present, the big tourism agencies try to integrate those monuments, some of them being refurbished, in the packages they offer their clients. Actually, the profile of the tourist has changed throughout the years, says the president of the ARCHÉ Association, Alina Chiciudean.



    What I can say, though, at least as far as the post-pandemic period of time is concerned, is that people no longer seek a purely aesthetic discovery, they also want to leave their mark on the beautiful spot they’ve reached. Lat year, even two years ago, we came up with many such initiatives, so that the tourist can become a gardener for a whole afternoon, after we’ d got the required approvals. Works in a historical garden, that cannot be done by just anybody, so the experience is all the more precious given it complies with all the procedures and standards in place. Therefore, in autumn and in spring, we plant, we clean a garden and we’re aware our presence and visit on the premises will surely be felt there, and are there to last. That’s where the beauty of the heritage lies. Once you arrive in such a place, you realize you have hundreds of years of work in front of you, of work whose progress has been achieved little by little, in the buildup to the estate or the monument you hit upon. So what we have here is a kind of involvement tourism, while foreign tourists search for that in particular. They are quite used to participate, to have a quite active life. They’re young people, they’re still strong, and then, in turn, we try to offer them, in Romania, such standardized experiences, but that happens upon request, most of the time. We have an interdisciplinary team, architects, historians, art historians, PR specialists, we have all the professions related to cultural heritage. We can join them all along and explain true stories and not just fairy tales or legends of the place. They will learn something and will have something to eat straight from the farmer nearby or from the local cuisine. Some work will be done in the garden, for a little while, outdoors. Of course, beautiful photos, unavoidably, will also be there, but the experience is complete.



    Speaking about tourists’ reaction upon their departure from Romania, here is the president of the ARCHÉ Association, Alina Chiciudean, once again, this time relishing in reminiscing a professional development project of the youngsters who chose heritage-related jobs for their career. Back then Alina accompanied a group from the Low Countries, who were on a sightseeing tour of Bucharest city center.



    The visit was not guided by someone exclusively specializing in tourism guidance, but by one of our colleagues, an architect, specializing in creative writing in London. They never imagined Bucharest had so many things to offer. The mix of styles, of cultures, people’s generosity to offer explanations, all that make a kind of experience which very powerful for those who arrive in Romania. They are very pleasantly surprised with what they’ve found and perhaps that’s where the beauty lies, of Romania and its places, that including the capital city. That may come as something surprising for the people, as on the website you cannot make sense of what’s in store for you. And maybe the feature we’re doing together right now does not clearly reveal what they can find there. Rather, it is obvious you need to show up with your heart open and allow yourself to be surprised.



    As we speak, roughly one thousand out-of-town urban residences of the local elites, from the 16th to the first half of the 20th century are preserved on the territory of Romania. Some of them have been restored, some are degrading, while others are the bone of contention for inheritors in various lawsuits. Castles can also be found in cities, some of them housing museums or playing host to various events.(EN)




  • Romania’s Tourism Fair and its offers

    Romania’s Tourism Fair and its offers


    The 47th edition of Romanias Tourism Fair was held over February 23rd and 26th in Romanias capital city Bucharest. Romanias most interesting tourism offers and assets were presented as part of the event. Traditional craftsmen were there, obviously, they provided live demonstrations of the ancient crafts. In this weeks instalment in our regular Travelers Guide series you will find out something about the most interesting holiday destination for the coming period.



    A PR specialist with Timis Countys Tourism Promotion and Development Association, Bianca Vințan told us Timișoara was prepared to become a true capital of European Culture. Besides, Timis Countys tourism offer for 2033 was very generous.



    Bianca Vintan:



    “We invite tourists to discover the Win Road. The road comprises five small wine cellars in the Silagiu area, as well as visits to the regions local producers. Tourists can find accommodation nearby the wine cellars; they can taste the local produce or can bathe in Buzias resorts healing waters. Apart from that, lovers of nature and of the outdoor experience are invited to roll along 15 cyclo- tourism paths in Timis County. Ther also is another option, that of trekking in the Padeas area, Fardea, the Surduc lake. Loads of things for them to discover in our county. “



    Niculai Barbă is vice-president of Suceava County Council, as well as a coordinator of the National Tourism Promotion and Information Centre. Present at Bukovinas stand, Niculai Barba outlined, for all those interested, the most interesting tourism programs.



    “This year, we also have special events as part of the “Ciprian Porumbescu Year ” program. Therefore, we have developed events tourism in great numbers, in 2023. Then we present the period for which we are extremely sought-after, the Easter holiday. Booking for Easter and Christmas in Bukovina is made one year in advance. In no short supply are traditional cuisine, customs and traditions offers, traditional craftsmen, traditional music. At this edition of the fair we have come with performers of the “Ciprian Porumbescu” Ensemble, in a bid to put to good use the Romanian composers work. “



    Luminița Niculiță is one of the traditional craftsmen whose work was presented at Bukovinas stand. She came all the way from the museum-commune of Ciocănești and is surrounded by traditional handicraft items.



    “At the tourism fair we have brought a fine collection of painted eggs, typical for the region of Bukovina, especially for the museum-commune of Ciocanesti, where I hail from. Its not only the painted eggs we can brag about, we can also boast the beautiful houses with their painted façades, something unique the world over. Thanks to the painted eggs, the painted houses, of the traditions that have been preserved, our commune was declared an outdoor museum-commune. I have taken up the craft of painting eggs ever since I was four, guided by my mother, by grandparents, by aunties. I started with the simplest patterns, while now, as I am 20, I can say I already have a rich experience. Egg-painting workshops can also be staged, but we need to be announced well in advance so that we can prepare the required materials. We have tourist from all continents and from all European countries. Everybody was astonished we did not enjoy Switzerlands fame, landscape-wise. Were waiting for everybody to come over so they can see that for themselves. “



    Ramona Niță is the director of Breazas National Tourism Information and Promotion Centre. She came with special Easter and Whitsuntide offers, but also with offers off the market price, valid throughout the year.



    “For instance, we have a four-star guesthouse with an Easter package offer is made of a three-night accommodation stay with half-board and the festive Easter dinner. The double-room fee per person is 1,200 lei (243 Euros). Apart from accommodation and dinners, there also are activities such as a camp fire or dances. They have a very beautiful courtyard, with gazebos. There are also offers for the summer period. They include weekdays, and you pay four nights for the price of three, of five for the price of four. We have standard fees for the weekends, as the demand for that is very high. “



    Judith Grapă is a documentarist with the Faragas Country Museum. She presented the reasons why the Fagaras Citadel should not be excluded by tourists for their holiday options in 2023.



    “It is the only citadel of Romanias princesses. Transylvanias princes, in the 16th and the 17th centuries, offered this citadel to their wives as a wedding gift. Their ladyships, the princesses, were the ones who administered it, alongside the included estate known as the Fagaras Country. Secondly, it is one of the worlds most beautiful fortresses, which has been awarded a diploma of excellence. Thirdly, it is a very well-preserved citadel. The citadel has been partially restored and looks really fine. The first floor is open for visitors, there we have 26 rooms, the Fagaras Country Museum can also be found there. On the second floor, we have for more rooms set in the style of the 18th century. We invited you to come over mainly during the days of the Medfest, a medieval festival, a festival of the citadel days, held in the last week of August.”



    From Transylvania we travel all the way down to the Romanian Black Sea Coast. Alina Monica Rapotan is the property manager of a guesthouse in the resort of Jupiter.



    “Ours is an offer accounting for 10% off the market price. During the season, the accommodation fee for two adults and a child younger than 5 can reach 220 lei (44 euros). In June, for two adults, we can offer a fee of 140 Lei (28 Euro). We have our own kitchen and playgrounds for children, indoors and outdoors. Were in the middle of a forest. The air is fresh and were that close to the beach. “



    An executive director with Arad County Council, Dr. Andrei Ando, went to the tourism fair with an offer for three distinct regions in Arad County.



    “First off, Arad municipal city, where we promote historical and cultural tourism. Secondly, the Mures River Valley, a historical region in Arad municipal city. Here we lay emphasis on the Savirsin castle, on the traditions acknowledged by UNESCO. Then we promote the Miniș-Măderat vineyard, one of central Europes historic vineyards. There we have two sorts of wine: Cadarcă, a red sort of wine and Mustoasă of Măderat, a sort of white wine. Concurrently, at this edition of the fair, we wanted to promote Arad municipal city as a city-break destination. We have so far discussed with 22 tourism agencies so that Arad could be included in their autumn offer. We have 70 refurbished palaces in Arad city center, Romanias largest urban city center area, we have the longest string of Secession-style buildings.”



    Also available at the tourism fair were adventure or balneal tourism offer. Also the UNESCO Buzau Land geopark and the Mountainous Banat had very lively stands, teeming with ideas for a successful holiday. In Travelers Guides following editions, we shall have more on each of these destinations, so we can understand their unique selling points, capable of helping you to have a holiday to remember, in Romania. (EN)




  • Botosani, a Cultural Route

    Botosani, a Cultural Route

    The culture and tourism route Traditional Crafts and Craftsmen in Romania covers the counties of Suceava, Maramures, Neamt, and Botosani. It was launched in late 2022 by the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Tourism in Romania. Today we can discover Botosani, the city, through its ancient traditions, but also its rich history. Our guide today is Florentina Gheorghita, director of the National Center for Tourism Information and Promotion.


    “This route puts end to end all the counties where there are traditional crafts and craftsmen, and, of course, we could put Botosani County among them. We can recommend first time visitors to first go to Ms. Aurica Cojocarita, who is considered a living treasure for her treatment of fabrics. Botosani County also stands out thanks to the Iachinschis, with tradition in Kuty ceramics. We have craftsmen all over the county covering the entire gamut of traditional crafts: painting, religious icons, dolls made of corn husks, March amulets, basket weaving, embroidery, fabrics, masks that are traditional in the north, peasant leather shoes, fur hats, or the traditional painted Easter eggs. We still have craftsmen who weave wool carpets. For instance, the Ivanusca family weaves woolen carpets with no artificial coloring, just based on the shade of the wool, white, gray, or black. We also have traditional woodwork, such as dolls in traditional clothing that represents our traditions.”




    The tourists who go on this route can visit the skilled artisans at their home in order to try to fathom some of the secrets of their crafts. In the city of Botosani, Florentina Gheorghita recommends a visit to Mr. Iacinschi:


    “His ceramics workshop receives continuously visitors, they want to see how the clay is processed, how it is tinted, how you go through the seven stages of getting the finished object. The National Center gets the tourists in touch with any of the artisans. Most of them work at home, and everyone is welcome to go there and see the work. For instance, Mr. Ivanusca has a section where he teaches children at the Traditional Art School, so you can go straight there. Also, the Ethnography Museum holds all the time crafts workshops for kids and tourists.”




    There are many events to promote traditional arts and crafts. Florentina Gheorghita invites us to Botosani between April 18 and 19, when they hold workshops for painting eggs. The program, however, is much richer:


    “In the weekend between April 21-23, you are invited at a traditional crafts fair, for Botosani City Days. We also have the March amulet festival in Dorohoi. All these events will be announced. There are many of them, and unfold throughout the year. So events are available every month for anyone who wishes to take part. August is a month in Botosani for traditional music. When a tourist arrives, we ask what kind of tourism they want to do in the city. Some may want to see the history part, some the traditions side, some the ecumenical, depending on preference. We propose some circuits, we try to optimize the movement in the city or the county. We offer free guides in the city of Botosani. Every time tourists ask us about going further, to Iasi, or Suceava, or Neamt, we always offer our best information, and put them in touch with our colleagues in the information centers in surrounding counties.”




    Any visit to Botosani may start in the historic center. There you can see many buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. Florentina Gheorghita told us that they have all been renovated.


    “We are inviting families with children, because Botosani is a county that has given the world many geniuses, it has a lot of memorial houses, starting to the big four of the county: Mihai Eminescu, George Enescu, Stefan Luchian, and Nicolae Iorga. In addition to them, we also have many other interesting objectives. We also recommend Monastery Road, linking a constellation of monasteries, starting with Vorona and ending in Cosula, which stands out by its special yellow paint, which has the same name. We also recommend entertainment tourism. We have the Cornisa entertainment park, 48 hectares. Here you can do winter sports. We have a covered pool and an outdoor pool, and a covered skating rink. We also have water slides, as well as a rafting river, unique in Romania, as well as a large lake for boat and water bicycle rides. We have many nature reserves, and we recommend the Tisa reservation. Of course, we also recommend the town of Dorohoi, where there is a special museum of natural sciences.”




    If you choose the Traditional Crafts and Craftsmen in Romania route, you can always combine forms of tourism. The closest airport is Stefan cel Mare International Airport in Suceava. It is only 30 km away from the center of the city, and there you can put together a proper vacation at the tourism center.


  • Spa resorts in Romania

    Spa resorts in Romania

    Romania holds one third of Europe’s thermal waters and
    60% of its mineral water reserves. From the point of view of accommodation, the
    share of spa tourism in the Romanian tourism is between 20% and 25%. It is a
    dynamic field, with changes from one year to the next, with a strong development in rural areas. Together with our guest today, Nicu Rădulescu,
    the president of the Romanian
    Spa Tourism Employers’ Association, we will look at the most sought-after destinations as well as at spa treatments.




    Nicu Rădulescu: Most accommodation facilities can
    be found in the resorts of Băile Felix, Călimănesti-Căciulata and Sovata. There
    is a massive concentration of accommodation there. There are three large
    resorts, which also have a historical tradition. Of course, we should not
    forget about the so-called ‘old lady’ of the Romanian spa tourism, Băile Herculane
    resort. However, modernization works were undertaken mostly in these three
    resorts, where much more was invested. Now we are also waiting for major
    investments to be started by my colleagues in Băile Herculane. There are
    already a few daring investors who have done some special things, but
    expectations are much higher, because Băile Herculane resort is indeed an area
    with a lot of resources, both spa and ecotourist.




    Spa treatments
    have a long tradition, Romania being among the first countries in the world to
    create a scientific society of balneology and climatology. We asked our guest,
    Nicu Rădulescu, the president of the Employers’ Organization of Spa Tourism in
    Romania, if we can combine spa treatment with the passion for history.




    Nicu Rădulescu: Spa
    resorts boast extraordinary histories. For example, many extraordinary events
    took place in Băile Herculane spa resort. It was part of an empire; it went
    through wars. There are other smaller resorts too. Germisara resort is as old
    as Herculane resort, although it is perhaps less famous. Geoagiu Băi resort was
    called Germisara. The resort of Slănic Moldova, for example, was visited by
    ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza, who discussed with his fellow Romanians about the
    historical events that were to take place: the Small Union and the Great Union.
    So, we have every reason to believe that these resorts, both in the days of
    yore and in the more recent centuries, in the 19th century, were,
    indeed, not only vestiges of culture, but also places where extraordinary
    people met, who organized various events. So, spa resorts have an extraordinary
    history and a large part of them is located in natural parks, which really
    gives them even more brilliance. Nowadays, we are talking about a much more
    sophisticated tourism than before. People come not only for treatments, but
    also for walks on tourist routes, some come for canoeing and others for rock
    climbing.




    The year 2022
    was characterized by a bigger flow of tourists to the spa resorts, over 90% of
    them being Romanian tourists:




    Nicu Rădulescu: Romanians
    have begun to rediscover natural treatments in spa resorts. We have noticed
    that, while 10-15 years ago the average age of tourists was somewhere over 50,
    nowadays young people have started to come to spa resorts. Preventive treatment
    has a very important role. Almost all 4-star hotels have, in addition to a
    modern treatment base that provides treatment for those who have certain
    ailments, spa and wellness centers which are well equipped and where young people
    can come to take care of their health. We have tourists aged 20, 30, 35, so the
    average tends to get lower. There haven’t been a lot of foreign tourists, about
    10%, but this was because of the travel restrictions, of the war, of the
    complex problems in Ukraine. Still, Romania is a safe destination and I’m sure
    in the coming years we will get back to our traditional markets, like Germany,
    Israel, France. On the other hand, the Romanian sea coast is in itself a huge
    spa resort. At present, the Romanian seaside has the most complex natural
    treatment elements, including the mud in Techirghiol, the sapropelic coal in
    Eforie, the sea water itself. Our colleagues in Mangalia and those in
    Techirghiol have achieved a true revolution in terms of spa medicine.




    And here are
    some offers as well. In Bǎile Herculane, a 7-night stay in a double room in May
    costs EUR 540 per person, including a medical checkup and treatment for 5 days
    as well as full board. In Bǎile Felix, a
    7-night package in a 4-star hotel in a double room reaches EUR 950, complete
    with a medical checkup, treatment for 5 days, half board and access to the Aqua Park, saunas and jacuzzi.




    Nicu
    Rǎdulescu, president of the Romanian Spa Tourism Employers’ Association, says
    Romania is a quite active member of the European Spa Association:




    Nicu Rădulescu: At present,
    in terms of packages of services, of trained personnel, and of quality, we are
    at European level. Our colleagues even received awards. In 2022, 3 spa resorts
    were on the podium, winning various categories, which is something we could not
    do 5-6 years ago. The interest shown by the line ministry in this respect may
    contribute to this, and I strongly believe this sector deserves a strong
    investment system through facilities offered by the government. Also, the
    training of our medical personnel is highly respected at European level. We
    have very good physiotherapists, very good professionals in the spa area, and
    balneology as a science is well developed in Romania. There is a noteworthy
    tradition in this respect, and the Physical Medicine and Balneology Institute
    in Bucharest trains outstanding specialists.




    As a rule, spa resorts are
    located in areas with notable tourist potential, so when you book a stay there,
    you will have an opportunity to mix treatments with visits to arts and crafts
    centres, to various tourist sites and sports activities like hiking. (LS, AMP)

  • Encouraging education in Romania’s hospitality industry

    Encouraging education in Romania’s hospitality industry

    Romania is facing a workforce crisis
    just like many other European countries, these days. Perhaps to a greater extent than in
    other walks of life, employees’ shortage in tourism takes its toll on Romanian economy.
    We do have high-schools and vocational schools specializing in tourism, yet a
    sizeable part of the graduates opts for other career paths or simply avoids employment
    in Romania. You want to know the reasons why? The de-motivating salaries and
    the seasonal status of the job.

    A member of the Romanian Hotel Industry
    Federation’s Steering Committee, Marius Bazavan will now be giving us an
    outline of the current situation on the Romanian labor market.


    Marius Bazavan:

    I can see personnel
    fluctuation taking a downward trend. Fluctuation is increasingly on the wane.
    People have started to settle in, at the workplace. Personnel shortage is on everybody’s
    lips these days. We cannot hide that, but, as we speak, personnel shortage does
    exist, in terms of numbers, but also quality-wise, if we take into account the people who
    are skilled to work in the hospitality industry.


    For a better quality of services, but also in a bid to
    attract youngsters to seek employment in the hospitality industry, a guide has
    been recently compiled, by the Edu4Tourism Association,
    with the support of the Romanian Hotel Industry Federation. We’re
    speaking about The Hospitality Industry Practice
    Guide    , an educational instrument targeting teachers and pupils,
    at once setting the task to accomplish several clear-cut objectives: the percentage increase in the case of pupils who, having graduated
    from a specialized high-school, can opt for choosing a career path in the hospitality
    industry offering support to the parents, in a bid to make them understand the
    activities and the jobs their children can embrace in a tourist unit, and the
    support of the economic agents in need to of skilled personnel, so that they
    can offer high-standard services.

    Călin Ile is the President Romanian Hotel
    Industry Federation. He will now be telling us what exactly the guide means,
    for tourism industry operators.


    Calin Ile:

    It is a bridge between us, who
    activate as hospitality industry operators, the people involved in education,
    in high schools, in tourism schools part of the Romanian education system, between
    pupils and parents. We intend o created this dialogue bridge between us, so we
    may find the best solutions that can help those youngsters integrate in our industry,
    and in a bid to render our industry more pleasant so that we can give them the
    answers they need, for them to form the best opinion, all that enabling them to
    make a well-informed choice, whether they want or not to work with us. We
    wholeheartedly wait for their options. I believe that, before procedures and
    operating systems, it all boils down to a human relation, it is all about each
    and every one of us getting involved in supporting these youngsters in their
    effort to find a way in life. And we think a nice and fair way for themselves
    is also a career path in tourism.


    As for the incentive that can be offered to youngsters,
    it can be provided by the current tourism employees, provided education units
    set up, for the training stages, partnerships with the economic agents
    operating in the field. With details on that, here is Catalin Ile once again.


    Also, there will be an
    impetus for tourism employees to act as mentors and get involved as training
    tutors. And, last but not the least, I think it will also be a curiosity for youngsters,
    for pupils, to pick their training option, to do their training stages in our
    units. So it really is an incentive we provide for the three categories I’ve mentioned
    before, in a bid to properly consider doing their training in tourism and subsequently,
    even have employment in tourism.


    The Hospitality Industry Practice Guide
    has an electronic format; it is downloadable from any electronic device and
    includes essential information for the pupils who may wish to be good tourism
    workers. Or at least that is what project coordinator, Rocsana Borda, says.


    Rocsana Borda:

    It
    includes a teaching syllabus, jointly created with those of the Edu4Tourism.
    Also, it includes everything related to the annexes of the training, the pupils’
    evaluation, the steps to be taken. What you need to tick when, for the first
    time ever, you need to do the cleaning of a hotel room, well…cleaning is just
    un example. All these materials are a click away. Actually, the guide is
    downloadable. Anyone can download it, completely free of charge, so that they
    can get the information they need. I should also like to add that it provides a
    description of the jobs that are part of the hospitality industry. We should also
    consider a hotel also means an IT department, accounting, it also means
    marketing, it’s not only about the receptionist’s desk and the kitchen. It’s all of that in one single place.


    However, over and above anything else, the guide is an
    example of how economic operators get involved in tertiary education. Without such
    involvement, the workforce cannot be trained at a high-performance level. (EN)









  • Skiing in Romania

    Skiing in Romania

    There are not a few ski slopes, and the offers are attractive. At the same time, you are invited to enjoy the spectacular sights in the Romanian Carpathian Mountains.


    For foreign tourists, Romania can be very interesting, especially if we know how to position ourselves, says Adrian Voican, tourist agency manager. Even though the country doesnt have the tallest mountains in Europe, we do have something unique: the tourist objectives, and the affordability of cuisine and accommodation:


    “Valea Prahovei is the area that is closest to my heart, the more so as we are close to the opening of the airport in Brasov, so that tourists who wish to reach the Brasov area, from the country and abroad, can get straight there. This will happen in the first half of next year. Sinaia is the diamond of resorts on Prahova Valley. Three new ski slopes will open this winter. This will bring up the total length of our ski slopes from 22 km to 30 km, on Valea Dorului, Valea cu Brazi, Valea lui Carp, and Valea Soarelui. It should be mentioned that the altitudes of the slopes vary from 860 m to 2,000 m. So, even if it is warmer and the snow is lacking at lower levels, we almost always can count on snow at higher altitudes. And dont forget the snow cannons. Also, Sinaia City Hall managed to purchase the old ski lift and cable car, and now we are about to issue a universal ski pass for the entire resort.”




    This doesnt mean that Sinaia is the only destination, even though it was designated the most attractive ski resort in Romania at the World Ski Awards, the only global initiative to promote and award excellence in winter tourism.


    “Poiana Brasov is not to be dismissed by any accounts. On the contrary, here the total length of slopes is 24 km, and they claim it is the longest in the country. Then we have Straja, in the southwest of Romania. They say that they have the longest slope in the country, 8.6 km, and that their skiing area is top of the list. This kind of competition is beneficial. Covasna has four slopes. Here they blend spa tourism with active tourism and winter skiing. The same with Sovata, where the authorities have invested using European funds and attracting other sources of financing, to make the resort attractive both in summer and in winter.”




    According to Adrian Voican, tourism agency manager, Romanias slogan that would attract foreign tourists could be Learn to Ski in Romania. In fact, Romania could be the ideal destination for parents who want to teach their children to ski.


    “There are plenty of slopes. You dont need slopes kilometers upon kilometers long, you can have a slope that is one km, or one half of that. You can learn how to ski on the slopes in Cazacu or Sorica, in Azuga, or on Kalinderu, in Busteni. You dont need huge, or very high up slopes that go into the Book of Records. All you need is good facilities where kids feel great, to have snow, to have accessible prices, and monitors, of which we have great ones, and to have rental equipment available. This concept of Learn to Ski in Romania could be very attractive for many that would have a vacation here. We have been promoting Romania on foreign markets for a very long time. The main countries where we have partners, trying to attract as many tourists as we can to our country are France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, and even the US.”




    In terms of active tourism, beyond summer treks, Romania is a prime destination for travel skiing, according to Cosmin Andron, mountain climber and tourist guide.


    “In terms of foreign tourists who want to do winter sports in Romania, most of them come for travel skiing, and the classical destinations are the Rodna Mountains, in the north, Bucegi, Fagaras, Retezat, Parang Mountains, and the Apuseni Mountains. Most of the people I accompanied are from Eastern Europe, Poles, Czechs, and Slovaks mostly, and Austrians, Brits, and French people from Western Europe. Generally, these tourists prefer objectives where they can spend time between the days of skiing. It is true that most tourists are not focused exclusively on skiing, because Romania does not offer in its tourist circuit trails of great technical complexity. The people coming here seek the exotic in the destination, which automatically involves other tourist objectives, beyond the sports aspect. For instance, we have agro-tourism in Maramures, and especially in the Bucegi Mountains area. Tourists are asking for, and we also recommend, a visit to Peles Castle and Bran Castle. Depending on the destination, at least one day out of five or six is spent to visit other objectives.”




    Romania is not an expensive destination, if you dont count access to ski lifts and cable cars in resorts. Here is Cosmin Andron:


    “This is a destination for low cost airlines. For someone considering a week of free ride skiing in Bucegi, Fagaras, Retezat, you can get to the mountains with flights to Bucharest or Sibiu. The ones who want to go to the northern places, such as the Rodnei, Maramures, or Apuseni mountains, they have available the airports in Cluj or Tg. Mures. Then, accommodation is mainly in B&Bs, which are still at very competitive prices compared to Western Europe. In addition, some places can be accessed by cable car, which may be accessed only once in an outing of four or five days. For instance, at Balea, in the Fagaras Mountains. Other places can be reached by car. So, Romania is not exclusively a destination for down slope skiing, but for this mix of archaic, authentic, and skiing. Alongside my colleagues, I extend an invitation to you to discover Ropmania, because this is what a trip abroad is about, discovering places, people, traditions. This is a different manner of doing active tourism.”




    There are many events that take place near or even on ski slopes. Of these, one of the most eagerly expected is a premier event for Central and Eastern Europe. The organizers of the first Massif event, between March 3 and 5, 2023, in Poiana Brasov, promise the perfect combination between a music festival and a winter sports festival.

  • Skiing in Romania

    Skiing in Romania

    There are not a few ski slopes, and the offers are attractive. At the same time, you are invited to enjoy the spectacular sights in the Romanian Carpathian Mountains.


    For foreign tourists, Romania can be very interesting, especially if we know how to position ourselves, says Adrian Voican, tourist agency manager. Even though the country doesnt have the tallest mountains in Europe, we do have something unique: the tourist objectives, and the affordability of cuisine and accommodation:


    “Valea Prahovei is the area that is closest to my heart, the more so as we are close to the opening of the airport in Brasov, so that tourists who wish to reach the Brasov area, from the country and abroad, can get straight there. This will happen in the first half of next year. Sinaia is the diamond of resorts on Prahova Valley. Three new ski slopes will open this winter. This will bring up the total length of our ski slopes from 22 km to 30 km, on Valea Dorului, Valea cu Brazi, Valea lui Carp, and Valea Soarelui. It should be mentioned that the altitudes of the slopes vary from 860 m to 2,000 m. So, even if it is warmer and the snow is lacking at lower levels, we almost always can count on snow at higher altitudes. And dont forget the snow cannons. Also, Sinaia City Hall managed to purchase the old ski lift and cable car, and now we are about to issue a universal ski pass for the entire resort.”




    This doesnt mean that Sinaia is the only destination, even though it was designated the most attractive ski resort in Romania at the World Ski Awards, the only global initiative to promote and award excellence in winter tourism.


    “Poiana Brasov is not to be dismissed by any accounts. On the contrary, here the total length of slopes is 24 km, and they claim it is the longest in the country. Then we have Straja, in the southwest of Romania. They say that they have the longest slope in the country, 8.6 km, and that their skiing area is top of the list. This kind of competition is beneficial. Covasna has four slopes. Here they blend spa tourism with active tourism and winter skiing. The same with Sovata, where the authorities have invested using European funds and attracting other sources of financing, to make the resort attractive both in summer and in winter.”




    According to Adrian Voican, tourism agency manager, Romanias slogan that would attract foreign tourists could be Learn to Ski in Romania. In fact, Romania could be the ideal destination for parents who want to teach their children to ski.


    “There are plenty of slopes. You dont need slopes kilometers upon kilometers long, you can have a slope that is one km, or one half of that. You can learn how to ski on the slopes in Cazacu or Sorica, in Azuga, or on Kalinderu, in Busteni. You dont need huge, or very high up slopes that go into the Book of Records. All you need is good facilities where kids feel great, to have snow, to have accessible prices, and monitors, of which we have great ones, and to have rental equipment available. This concept of Learn to Ski in Romania could be very attractive for many that would have a vacation here. We have been promoting Romania on foreign markets for a very long time. The main countries where we have partners, trying to attract as many tourists as we can to our country are France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, and even the US.”




    In terms of active tourism, beyond summer treks, Romania is a prime destination for travel skiing, according to Cosmin Andron, mountain climber and tourist guide.


    “In terms of foreign tourists who want to do winter sports in Romania, most of them come for travel skiing, and the classical destinations are the Rodna Mountains, in the north, Bucegi, Fagaras, Retezat, Parang Mountains, and the Apuseni Mountains. Most of the people I accompanied are from Eastern Europe, Poles, Czechs, and Slovaks mostly, and Austrians, Brits, and French people from Western Europe. Generally, these tourists prefer objectives where they can spend time between the days of skiing. It is true that most tourists are not focused exclusively on skiing, because Romania does not offer in its tourist circuit trails of great technical complexity. The people coming here seek the exotic in the destination, which automatically involves other tourist objectives, beyond the sports aspect. For instance, we have agro-tourism in Maramures, and especially in the Bucegi Mountains area. Tourists are asking for, and we also recommend, a visit to Peles Castle and Bran Castle. Depending on the destination, at least one day out of five or six is spent to visit other objectives.”




    Romania is not an expensive destination, if you dont count access to ski lifts and cable cars in resorts. Here is Cosmin Andron:


    “This is a destination for low cost airlines. For someone considering a week of free ride skiing in Bucegi, Fagaras, Retezat, you can get to the mountains with flights to Bucharest or Sibiu. The ones who want to go to the northern places, such as the Rodnei, Maramures, or Apuseni mountains, they have available the airports in Cluj or Tg. Mures. Then, accommodation is mainly in B&Bs, which are still at very competitive prices compared to Western Europe. In addition, some places can be accessed by cable car, which may be accessed only once in an outing of four or five days. For instance, at Balea, in the Fagaras Mountains. Other places can be reached by car. So, Romania is not exclusively a destination for down slope skiing, but for this mix of archaic, authentic, and skiing. Alongside my colleagues, I extend an invitation to you to discover Ropmania, because this is what a trip abroad is about, discovering places, people, traditions. This is a different manner of doing active tourism.”




    There are many events that take place near or even on ski slopes. Of these, one of the most eagerly expected is a premier event for Central and Eastern Europe. The organizers of the first Massif event, between March 3 and 5, 2023, in Poiana Brasov, promise the perfect combination between a music festival and a winter sports festival.

  • Tourism Fairs in Bucharest

    Tourism Fairs in Bucharest


    The autumn edition of Romania’s Tourism Fair was held in Bucharest over November 10 and 13. Visitors had the chance to find out about the newest and the most interesting tourism offers. Participating in the fair were travel agencies, accommodation and leisure units but also local tourism authorities, national and international. Apart from the promotions offered ahead of the coming winter holidays, travel aficionados could buy tourism packages for up to 50% off the market price, The event was jointly staged by the Romexpo Exhibition Centre, Romania’s Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Romania’s Travel Agencies Owners’ Association.



    A biologist with the Iron Gates Nature Park Administration, Amalia Dumbravă has invited us to explore a protected area of national interest, lying in south-western Romania, an area with a very special ethnic and biological diversity.



    We have come up with a cross-border project, by means of which we promote nature heritage but also cultural assets, from Romania and Bulgaria. A series of virtual tours will be on offer as an invitation, so that people may become aware of the beauty of the scenery, and in a bid to invite people to explore the habitat of the nature parks, of the protected areas. The project has kicked off already. The included assets have already been scanned in a 3D format, using the specific technology and photogrammetry. Tourist can simulate a flight over our territory. There where there is something they might be interested in, they can have a stopover at the 3D assets.



    Techirghiol is a balneal resort on the Romanian Black Sea Coast. Lying at 16 kilometers from Constanta, on the shores of Techirghiol lake, it is open all year round. Techirghiol is known for the qualities of the mineralized salty waters and the sapropelic mud, used in the treatment of several serious or less serious conditions. With details on that, here is an inspector with Techirghiol Municipality’s projects department, Melisa Regep.



    I have come to the Tourism Fair as part of a project. The project is themed Enhancing tourism attractivity in Techirghiol balneal resort, and is carried through We Promote the Town, an operational-sectorial project which has seen a very beautiful development, with the lake shore promenade and the pier, with cycle paths, with offers of treatment with our famous mud. As we speak, we are Romania’s top-of the-chart balneal resort and we won a great number of awards. Our treatment facilities are open all year round. Of these, the most famous is the Techirghiol Sanatorium. Following is Saint Mary Monastery, a renowned asset, with its own treatment facility .



    A great many craftsmen participated in Romanian Tourism Fair’s Autumn Edition. Nicolae Les is the son of Dan Les, a potter. Nicolae promotes the tradition of pottery.



    The trade was handed down to me by my father and by my grandfather. We work in ceramic. We draw our inspiration from the Maramures traditional ceramic, to which we add a significant contemporary touch, through color or through shape. We’re mostly visited by foreign tourists from Germany, Belgium, France, Great Britain, the United States of America. Foreign tourists seem to better appreciate the tourist potential in our region. They’re very happy with what they got as they go back home. They recommend us, also taking with them, further afield, beyond frontiers, our story, the story of Maramures.



    Claudiu Dobrican is a head councilor with Maramures County Council. He told us Maramures was a brand in itself.



    It has compelled recognition thanks to our unsophisticated people who open up their hearts to their guests. When you come over, they would offer you the best food and the best plum brandy. Apart from that, we have lots of tourist assets. In Borsa, we have the most modern ski slope in Maramures, it was opened last year. It is 3.6 kilometers long. We have our towering peaks, also in the region of Borsa. Maramures is divided in four regions. The Lapus Country, The Chioar Country, The Codru (Woods) Country and the Historical Maramures. Country. In historical Maramures, you can see lots of traditional Maramures gates, monasteries. We have Europe’s tallest wooden church, a UNESCO monument. Also, the Barsana monastery is renowned for its beauty. In Săpânța, the Merry Cemetery is the main asset. We have Christmas and New Year’s Eve Party offers. The New Year’s Eve Party offers have been kind of sold out, but we also have some available offers for Christmas. At that time of the year, you can see lots of traditions, you can hear authentic carols. We wholeheartedly wait for you in Maramures, a place of wonder.



    Georgiana Ungureanu works for the Targoviste-based Princely Court Museum Compound. At the fair, Georgiana presented Dambovita County, which has a wide range of tourist assets.



    We have a beautiful mountain region, where we can find the Ialomita-Bucegi cave, but also a special town, Targoviste, with the Chindia Tower while nearby Bucharest, only 30 kilometers away we can find the Brancoveanu Palace in Potlogi. I would invite the tourists to visit the Bucegi Mountains’ mountainous region. Apart from the Ialomita Cave, they can see the Bolboci Lake. In another development, inside the Ialomita Cave, tourists can discover a breathtaking waterfall and a route upgraded according to European standards, with platforms and small bridges. At this time of the year, in winter, they will see icy stalactites and stalagmites.



    Niculai Barbă is the vice-president of Suceava County Council. As an absolute first, Niculai Barba told Radio Romania International that, in Bukovina, 2023 would be the Ciprian Porumbescu Year. Therefore, a great number of events will be staged, dedicated to the renowned Romanian composer whose compositions were selected for the Romanian but also for the Albanian anthem.



    This year, even though Bukovina means tradition, we have also come up with a couple of new things. It is for the first time ever when the County Council and the National Tourism Promotion and Information Centre have come up with other tourism-involved institutions. Specifically, it is about several municipalities that will be part of a future organization known as Bukovina Tourism Management. It will have a regional scope and, in effect, it will be the first organization of its kind established at national level. At this edition of the fair, apart from the tourism promotion for the County of Suceava, you can also find craftsmen, local cuisine, especially targeting the winter holidays. All these will be rounded off by stage performances of the Ciprian Porumbescu professional artistic ensemble. It is our usual way of promoting Bukovina. At the fair, we mainly focus on the promotion of the Christmas feast. This year, allow me to tell all our listeners that the Christmas celebration in Bukovina means Christmas in the family. We are prepared to receive our guests, with their entire family.



    Also as part of the Tourism Fair, the Entrepreneurship and Tourism Ministry has launched the Cultural-Tourist Route known as Traditional Craftsmen and Traditional Crafts from Romania. (EN)





  • The hospitality industry in need of young employees

    The hospitality industry in need of young employees

    The development of tourism in Romania, which in recent years has seen major progress, but still insufficient, is extremely important. The staff shortage in the field, on the other hand, has become acute. The need for as many employees as possible, and the lack thereof in particular in the tourism sector, was one reason for the Romanian Hotel Industry Federation to recently organize Open Days in the Hospitality Hndustry, aimed to attract young people to jobs in the field. More specifically, the organizers focused on means to attract young people to do internships in Romanian hotels and also on the development of specialized dual education. In Romania, dual education means the partnership between various economic sectors and technical and vocational high schools in order to have graduates hired as soon as possible by the companies operating in the field in which they are trained.

    Camelia Ghețău, a representative of the National Center for the Development of Vocational and Technical Education, told us more about the employment situation in tourism, and also about the cooperation between HoReCa and education institutions.

    The number of places allocated to the field of vocational training in tourism and the food sector that supports the HoReCa field, although generous, is not always covered by the students’ applications. However, it is one of the areas with the best coverage, namely 82.9%. The vacancy rate therefore stands at 17%. So the education system and the economic environment together need to attract students to fill all the places that the Ministry of Education makes available for qualifications in the tourism and food sectors. In addition, the Ministry of Education and the National Center for the Development of Vocational and Technical Education are open to all offers and requests. If the economic operators in tourism find that those qualifications that we are currently focusing on are no longer appropriate in terms of the harmonization of the curriculum with the developments in the sector, we are ready to update and modernize it. It is not a problem to do this as there is a very flexible tool called the National Register of Professional Qualifications which allows the introduction of new qualifications at any time.

    What is the point of view of potential employers in tourism? Marius Băzăvan, who is the manager of a hotel chain and member of the Board of Directors of the Hotel Federation, considers that the training of young people in the hospitality trades is also a duty of the companies operating in the field. Even before the open days event, Marius Băzăvan stated:

    We must understand that if we do not have educated young people, we will not have the tourism we want in the future. Tourism in Romania is developing every day, but we need, in addition to experienced people, dedicated and educated young people to bring their enthusiasm along. Such interaction, as facilitated by the Open Days event, helps us as an industry to better understand the needs of young people, what their expectations are, because it is very important for them to make an informed choice about the profession and career they want to pursue. We, in this field, also have dual education. It is the second generation of dual education, if I may call it that, with two classes of cooks and waiters of 14 students each. Our company has made available its locations in Băile Herculane because there is only one high school in the area where students can get the qualification of tourism technician. Specifically, we decided to rent two coaches and turn this action into a small trip. The students come from Craiova and go to Băile Herculane. There, every hotel should organize themed workshops so that students can see exactly what is happening in a marketing and sales department, as well as the less-seen part of the job, which is very beautiful. We encourage such actions and we will certainly focus more on interacting with young people and I think they will find a really nice place in this industry.

    But what do those directly targeted by the Open Days in the Hospitality Industry think? Let’s listen to one of them:

    My name is Marin Cristian Alexandru. I am an intern in the field of hospitality, especially in the kitchen. Lerning how to do things practically, in a hotel, is a very good idea, because it opens new horizons, and also stimulates children to be more creative, more disciplined and to develop a special type of thinking, adding to what they learn theoretically, in school. I think that dual education has helped me to become more disciplined and more creative.

    And his colleague added.

    My name is Cosmina. For me tourism, in general, is the most beautiful job I know. And being an intern in this field has helped me discover a lot of advantages It has opened lots of horizons for me. Everything I’ve learnt in these three years of practical work has helped me understand what I really want. And I really want to become a hotel manager. I think it’s a very nice job.

    And because education involves both students and teachers, teachers in dual education also have their responsibility in attracting young people to hospitality jobs, according to teacher Larisa Ilea.

    They are the first generation of dual education students that has benefited from the hotels in Bucharest and in the country opening their doors to them. And I have realized that we can do more if we join forces, so we have concluded partnerships in an association of teachers and mentors, and also in an association that brings together hotel and tourism high schools in Romania. The association was founded thanks to the initiative of the Hotel Managers’ Federation, but also of the French Institute in Romania. Together we have built strong partnerships to promote the tourism trades and to provide the field with skilled staff, whose training starts early, at the age of 15. And their training actually never stops, because tourism is a field that changes every six months..

    The labor crisis has returned to Romania after the restrictions imposed by the pandemic were lifted. And in tourism, this shortage is felt more acutely than anywhere else. Because of the low wages and poorer working conditions, people have started looking for other fields and even other countries. In order to revive the Romanian tourism and to meet the demand, the offer of the hospitality industry must stand at the right level. And for that, skilled employees are needed. (MI)

  • Romania’s breathtaking landscapes: past into present

    Romania’s breathtaking landscapes: past into present


    Were heading, today, towards Hateg Country, a historical and ethnographical region. Putting to good use all the assets of the region, here we can find the Hateg Countrys Dinosaurs Geopark. It is a UNESCO site, currently under the administration of the University of Bucharest. It is a realm of authentic stories, based on scientific research and made sense of in a language which is accessible to the lay public. University lecturer Dr Alexandru Andrasanu is the coordinator of UNESCOs International Geoparks program. He will be our guide today.



    “The geopark actually encompasses the entire Hateg Country. It is a UNESCO international brand, including 12 localities in Hunedoara County, in south-western Transylvania, It is part of an international network of 177 territories in 46 countries. Were proud we are Romanias first UNESCO site. The land of Buzau is soon to be the second UNESCO site. So we have a precious heritage, nay, we have a territory where the story of the earth blends into the story of the people”.



    The nature area was officially declared a Nature Park in 2004. Since 2005, the geopark has gained acceptance in the European Geoparks Network and in the Global Network. It was South-eastern Europes geopark to have been granted this international status, in 2005. Here is Dr Alexandru Andrasanu once again, with details on that.



    “The scientific activity proper began more than 100 years ago, when the first dinosaur bones were discovered. Then there were also the dinosaur eggs that were completed by the fossil remains of several animals that used to live here more than 70 million years ago. Of course, the most interesting are the famous Transylvanian dwarf dinosaurs. They are called dwarfs because an island used to be here 70 million years ago. The dinosaurs, in millions of years, had become smaller than their relatives, yet they were more interesting. With them, we find a great many other remains, from flying reptiles, to turtles, lizards, mammals. It is a fascinating story of the Earth, and a one-of-a-kind story, at that. Starting off from the scientific story, we went the whole hog and built the international geopark, which is an entire territory in its own right, where science blends into peoples legends, into the landscape. Also, we should not overlook the fact that the Hateg Country comes up with discovery and educational routes.”



    The area has become increasingly tourism-prone, yet it is not mass tourism were having. It is “discovery tourism”, according to university lecturer Dr Alexandru Andrasanu, the coordinator of UNESCOs International Geoparks program.



    “We can discover nature, the people, the landscapes. By “nature” I mean Hateg Country, the Retezat and Sureanu Mountains we can see around us. But then we can travel to Hunedoara, Deva, or to Sarmisegetusa Regia. The routes are quite diverse. We, for instance, can suggest a route along the Dinosaurs Valley. As of late, apart from the spots we ourselves have arranged, where the first dinosaur bones were discovered, a fun park has been opened, promoting the dinosaurs of Transylvania. There are replicas of a couple of dozens of dinosaurs and other elements of attraction. Also, we tell the Volcanoes Tale. You can also take a route including the 12th century church in Densus and the Volcanoes House. Here children and adults alike can participate in specific educational activities so they can find out more on the volcanoes that used to erupt here, in the dinosaurs time. “



    However, you can also choose routes where nature blends into tradition. Dr Alexandru Andrășanu



    “You can visit the 13th century Calvinist-Reformed Church in Sântămăria-Orlea, a daffodils glade, the recently-restored 14th century Malaiesti fortress. Then you can head towards the Retezat National Park Visiting Centre. And, if you travel a little bit further than Hateg Country, you can take the route to Pestera Bolii, the Sickness Cave and to Petrosani. There are routes taking you to our exhibition, the Geopark House, where we can discover a story about griffins, dragons and dinosaurs. Then you can take the route to the ruins of the Roman fortress in Sarmisegetusa Ulpia Traiana or the Ostrov Church, founded in 1360, or to Clopotiva, a traditional village, or to Cetatea de la Colți, which are very beautiful. Then, if you come from the Prislop Monastery, in Hunedoara you can hit the Corvins Castle. A tourist arriving in the Hateg Country can visit a number of assets, can take up trekking routes, can climb the Retezat Mountains, by foot or by bike. The scenery is definitely rural, it is a depression surrounded by mountains. Right now I am here and there is still snow in Retezat. It is a fairy-tale scenery.”



    For more info on the routes, you can visit the parks Internet page, at hategeoparc.ro. There is also a Facebook page and an Instagram account. Those who reach Hateg can have a stopover at the information centre and the exhibition of griffins, dragons and dinosaurs, where there also is a reconstruction of the regions most ferocious dinosaur. It is the Bondoc Griffin, bearing a Romanian name.



    The area is continuously growing, but not necessarily in terms of number of tourists, but in terms of attractions and diversity of activities. With details on that, here is University lecturer Dr Alexandru Andrasanu, the coordinator of UNESCOs International Geoparks program.



    “The partnership we have with the Countys Tourism Promotion Directorate is very close. The latters development vision includes our geopark as well. On one hand, our projects target a more extended area in our county, on the other hand, were encouraged to use the new technology, the augmented reality in order to fill in what cannot always be explained in words, all the more so as we speak about lost worlds. Therefore, we try to give visitors the chance to enrich what they see with reconstructions based on scientific research. The geopark is administered by the University of Bucharest, and underlying all our projects are the scientific results of our colleagues, but also of researchers in other universities, from Romania and around the world.”



    So here is a destination for all, but mostly for families. There are a great many children who come here with parents and grandparents, mainly because they want to find out the story of the dinosaurs, the volcanoes the plants and the mountains.


    (EN)




  • April 29, 2022

    April 29, 2022

    VISIT The PM of Bulgaria Kiril
    Petkov is on a working visit to Romania today. He will be received by president Klaus Iohannis and will also have talks
    with his Romanian counterpart, Nicolae Ciucă. The agenda of the visit also includes a meeting with the European
    Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, and
    the signing of an agreement between the Romanian and Bulgarian governments
    concerning the opening of the Giurgiu – Ruse ferryboat checkpoint. During the visit of the Bulgarian delegation,
    the Romanian defence minister Vasile Dîncu will have talks with his Bulgarian
    counterpart Dragomir Zakov.


    PARLIAMENT The Speaker of Romania’s Chamber of Deputies, Marcel
    Ciolacu, announced meetings in the forthcoming period between the leaders of
    the parliaments of Romania and the neighbouring Republic of Moldova. A meeting
    may take place in Iaşi (eastern Romania), near the Moldovan border, he added.


    ECONOMY The National Strategy and Forecast Commission revised its economic
    growth estimate for this year from 4.3% predicted in winter down to 2.9% in its
    latest report. According to the Commission, the reassessment was triggered by
    the effects of the conflict in Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia, while
    the new pandemic wave in China is also expected to deepen trade logjams,
    especially in the automotive industry. The
    Romanian central bank’s deputy governor Leonardo Badea also said, in a
    specialised conference, that the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have
    generated significant economic and fiscal problems.The IMF expects
    Romania’s GDP to go up 2.2% this year, while the World Bank’s estimate is 2.9%.


    CYBER ATTACKS Today’s cyber-attack on websites of Romanian public and
    private institutions was claimed by a cyber-crime group called Killnet, the
    National Cyber Security Directorate announced. A number of Distributed Denial
    of Service (DDoS) attacks targeted websites belonging to the government,
    defence ministry, border police, the passenger railway corporation CFR and OTP
    Bank, and was claimed to be in response to Romania’s support of Ukraine in the
    military conflict with Russia. Prague
    also accused a pro-Russian hacker group of committing cyber-attacks against websites
    run by the Czech public administration, hospitals and private entities on April 21.


    VETERANS Several military ceremonies are held today
    to mark the War Veterans Day in Romania. The defence minister Vasile Dîncu and
    the chief of staff gen. Daniel Petrescu will attend the events at the Monument
    of Heroes in Bucharest, while similar events will take place across the country
    and abroad. Also today, defence ministry officials will have an informal
    meeting in Bucharest with war veterans, children, students, and troops from
    theatres of operations.


    UKRAINE NATO warns that the West must be prepared
    for a long-term conflict. Its deputy secretary general Mircea Geoană said that the
    coming days and weeks may prove decisive, but that the war in Ukraine is likely
    to last longer-perhaps months or even years, depending on many factors. Russia
    carries on its offensive to get full control over the regions of Donetsk and
    Luhansk in eastern Ukraine and to create a land corridor to Crimea, the
    Ukrainian Army announced. Moscow also increased the number of drones flying
    over Odessa region on aerial reconnaissance missions, while local officials say Russia disseminates fake news and
    disinformation in an attempt to induce panic among the civilians in the region.


    FESTIVAL The French Institute in Bucharest, jointly with Europavox,
    organises a series of round tables, panel discussions and workshops entitled What’s
    Next for European Music on May 4 and 5. The participants will look at the
    music sector after the pandemic, opportunities in a new European framework,
    current financing opportunities in the EU, the European culture in solidarity
    with Ukraine, and digital communication in the context of the Covid-19
    pandemic. The debates will be held in English. During the same period, artists
    from 6 European countries will perform in Bucharest as part of the first
    Europavox Festival edition held in Romania.


    MAY
    DAY     The summer
    season officially begins this weekend in Romania. Hotel owners expect nearly
    30,000 tourists to spend May Day on the Black Sea coast. Data centralised by a
    tour operator indicate that over 100 hospitality units are ready to receive
    their guests, with the resorts of Mamaia and Costineşti in the highest demand. (AMP)