Around 250,000 tourists and visitors from the U.S. and Canada are to come to Romania this year, the number being slightly higher than the one registered in 2016, of over 232,000.

The number of tourists and visitors from North America is expected to continue the upward trend in 2018, when it’s estimated to reach 300,000, according to Simion Alb, the head of the Romanian National Tourist Office in North America, cited by local News.ro.

The Romanian official also said that more and more tourists have shown interest in Romanian cities such as Timisoara, Cluj, and Oradea, but also in Corvinilor Castle and Turda salt mine.

“Maramures is one of the country’s areas that has been frequently presented in the American mass-media in the last two years, and I believe that the rural areas in Northwestern Romania, with their unique architecture and traditions, will become more popular among potential tourists from North America,” Simion Alb said.

“The active holidays, mainly the hikes in the Carptahian Mountains, the cycling or equestrian tours, and the walks on rural roads, between villages, have started to become interesting for more and more Americans and Canadians.”

However, although most Americans associate Romania with the legend of Dracula, only 5% of Americans find this legend to be a strong motivation to travel to Romania, Simion Alb also said.

While in Romania, the American tourists also visit the south part of Transylvania, Bucharest, Peles and Bran Castles, and the monasteries in Bucovina.

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Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com