Only a quarter of Romanians go on vacation, report says
Romania is among the European Union countries with the lowest proportion of citizens going on vacation. In 2023, only 25% of Romanians aged over 15 spent at least one night in accommodation, compared to the EU27 average of 63% for the same age group, according to Social Monitor, a project of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation Romania.
Romania ranks behind other EU member states in the region regarding tourism, such as Hungary, Poland, or Slovenia, where over 55% of citizens reported spending at least one night in accommodation.
The only EU country with a similar proportion to Romania is Bulgaria, but even there, 37% of citizens reported at least one night spent in accommodation.
The data is based on official statistics recorded by Eurostat.
The entire European tourism sector experienced a dramatic decline in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but current data indicates a return to pre-pandemic levels. However, Romania continues to lag significantly behind other EU member states, with less than half of the European average of citizens over 15 years old spending at least one night in accommodation.
Eurostat data for 2023 reveals that a small percentage of Romania’s elderly population can afford a vacation. Only 11% of Romanians aged over 65 took at least one tourist trip in 2023, compared to the EU average of 48%. This rate places Romania at the bottom, with significant gaps compared to Germany (58%), Hungary (48%), and Poland (35%).
According to the Social Monitor, "the low percentage of Romanians who can afford a vacation is not only a result of poverty and limited access to vacation opportunities but also of a local tourism offering that fails to adapt to the needs and financial possibilities of citizens, particularly those in more vulnerable age groups."
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