Premium hotels in Bucharest, in the four- and five-star categories, have felt a decline in the number of Israeli tourists after the incident on August 10, when four Israeli tourists were beaten for no reason by the riot police during a big protest in Bucharest, according to representatives of the Romanian Hotel Industry Federation (FIHR).

“There’s the risk that the respective incident, through the amplitude it has taken, to shake the most important factor in the Israeli tourists’ travel decision, namely security. For Israeli tourists, security is the first criterion when choosing a destination. If we don’t react by improving promotion and communication with the Israeli market, surely such elements will lead to significant declines in the tourist flows from this country,” said FIHR president Calin Ile, according to local Agerpres.

He thinks that the Romanian authorities should communicate with Israeli tour operators and authorities and convince them that Bucharest and Romania are safe destinations.

Israel is the second country of origin for foreign tourists who visit Romania after Germany, according to official statistics. Last year, over 220,000 tourists from Israel visited Romania, namely 8% of the total number of foreign tourists.

editor@romania-insider.com