More Romanians are booking their holidays well in advance, and tourism agencies are seeing a sales peak in the first months of the year, according to travel agencies participating at this year Romanian Tourism Fair quoted by news agency Agerpres. The fair took place at the end of last week in Bucharest.

“We have seen more and more early booking reservations in the past years. As such, January and February have become peak months in sales of holiday, boosted by consistent discounts, of up to 45%, and by the option of choosing between the best market offers. We have a 30% increase of sales in the early booking period, compared to the previous year. There are many hotels in the country and abroad that are already in stop sale for the peak of the season (June 20 to July 10 and August 20 to September 10),” said Cosmin Marinof, national sales director with travel agency TUI TravelCenter/Eurolines.

More than half of those visiting the tourism fair were looking for bargains, summer holidays abroad at prices under EUR 300 per person, according to representatives of travel agency Christian Tour. Senior citizens looking for coach circuits in Europe are another important segment among those visiting the fair.

Spain destinations have proven increasingly popular this year, in addition to Bulgaria and Greece. Overall, the three countries recorded the highest early booking sales at the fair, according to the Agerpres report. “As a novelty at the beginning of this year we notice an increase in the interest of Romanian tourists in Spain destinations: Mallorca, Tenerife, Gran Canaria or Costa Brava,” said Marius Pandel, CEO of Christian Tour.

At the same time, tour operators say that Romania could prove a competitive destination this year as more accommodation facilities are proving they can offer good services at competitive prices. For some travel agencies Romania is the most popular destination, as is the case for TUI Travel Center, or one of the most popular.

“After a 2016 tourist season when Romania recorded the highest tourist number in the past ten years, reaching 4.8 million tourists, this year brings many novelties as far as comfort is concerned, but also the transport to tourist destinations, with the launch of charter travels, especially to the Romanian seaside,” said Adrian Voican, manager of Bibi Touring, quoted by Agerpres. With an average price per person of RON 750 (EUR 167) per holiday, two thirds of the agency’s early booking sales are made towards families with children.

The Romanian seaside leads in the preferences of local tourists, but spa-type resorts are also attracting increasing interest. “Mamaia remains the number 1 destination, but slightly below 2016. The biggest increases this year were registered by Saturn, Cap Aurora, Mangalia, and Eforie Nord. Spa-type destinations are growing a lot, especially Baile Felix, maybe also because of the Oradea airport,” Voican told Agerpres.

The introduction of domestic flights between Constanta and four cities in the country should help he Romanian seaside welcome more tourists, as should connections with several European cities.

“We are expecting over 2 million tourists this season at the Romanian seaside and in the Danube Delta,” said Corina Martin, president of the Seaside Danube Delta Association, quoted by Agerpres.

Several Romanian counties came to the fair with dedicated offers. The Arad County Council launched the City Break in Arad program, where tourists can discover the cultural, gastronomic, agro-touristic, and eco-touristic offer of the county in Western Romania. Arad also launched an Easter program, which includes wine tasting sessions and a wine circuit covering historical wineries of the county.

The city of Sibiu, standing in a region that should see an increasing number of tourists as it has been awarded the title of European Region of Gastronomy 2019, came to the fair an offer that also covered its cultural agenda. The county of Hunedoara, in Western Romania, is promoting the Hateg region (Tara Hategului), known for its historical landmarks, the Dino Park, the Deva Fortress, and the Corvinilor Castle.

Maramures, one of the most attractive tourist destinations for both locals and foreigners, brought to the fair packages for the May 1 and Easter holidays, starting at RON 300 (EUR 67). “Tourists shouldn’t come to Maramures with preconceived ideas. Everything is a bit different here. Starting with the people. We already have new investments in accommodation facilities, which says a lot about how we are developing as a tourist destination,” said Dan Carpov, a member of the Maramures County Council, quoted by Agerpres.

In its turn, Bucovina presented at the fair an improved version of the VisitBucovina app. The app can be downloaded from GooglePlay and offers information about tourist sites, accommodation options, events, eating & drinking, culture and leisure options.

Romania’s Danube Delta, Transfagarasan are “must see” Eastern Europe destinations

Romanian capital, fourth cheapest tourist destination in the world

editor@romania-insider.com