The number of Romanian and foreign tourists who checked into local hotels and guesthouses increased by 11.2% in the first eight months of this year compared to the same period last year, reaching 8.3 million, according to data the National Statistics Institute (INS) published yesterday.

The number of overnight stays, a key indicator in the tourism sector, went up by 6.3% during this period to 18.7 million.

Local tourists represented 77.5% of the total number of tourists in the first eight months of this year whereas foreign tourists accounted for 22.5%. Most foreign tourists came from Europe (74.8% of the total), mostly from the EU member states.

Some 221,700 Germans visited Romania during this period, followed by 193,700 Israelis. The number of tourists from Italy reached about 162,200 between January and August.

In 2016, the number of foreign tourists in Romania increased by 10.6% compared to the previous year to 2.47 million. It was a record level of the last decade.

editor@romania-insider.com