Foreign tourists who visit Romania for large holidays, such as Easter or Christmas, are unhappy as museums and other tourism facilities they'd be interested in visiting are usually closed on official holidays, and say they'd not return.

Tourists who buy packages via tour agencies complain about the authorities' 'oversight' that has been going on for years, said Dragos Anastasiu, the owner of Eurolines, which represents the TUI Group in Romania. Quoted by Mediafax, the Romanian entrepreneur says foreign tourist expect museums to be open at a time when higher number of tourists are expected to arrive in the country.

For example, the Village Museum and the Palace of the Parliament, two major attraction points in Bucharest, were closed both on the Easter Sunday, and on Monday, the second day of Easter. “We had 600 German tourists in Bucharest during these days, and some of them complained museums were closed,” said George Mărginean, the owner of the Karpaten Turism agency, which represents the Neckermann group in Romania.

The same went for other Romanian cities, including Brasov and Sinaia, where many tourist destinations that are often promoted abroad, including the Peles Castle, were closed. Foreign tourists say this is not the case in other countries across Europe, where these tourism facilities are open during weekends and large holidays.

In another example, the tourist information office in the Universitate metro passage downtown Bucharest is usually closed down during weekends, when more tourists are expected to arrive and search for information than during the usual work hours during the week.

editor@romania-insider.com