The number of tourists checking in the Romanian accommodation facilities (hotels and others) in the first quarter of 2019 increased by 5.8% compared to the same period last year, to 2.3 million. Romanian tourists represented 80.8% of the total while the foreign tourists had a share of 19.2%.

The number of nights spent by tourists in Romania increased by 8.7% on the year, to 4.49 million. While Romanians spent 12% more nights, the number of nights spent by foreigners in Romanian hotels decreased by 4%.

The average number of nights spent by each tourist increased slightly this year but remained not much above 1.9. Foreign tourists spent on average slightly over 2 nights, while local tourists only 1.9 nights.

In the quarter, the average occupancy rate of local accommodation facilities was 24.5%, 1.8 percentage points more compared to the same period last year. In the period, the hotels (31.2%), bungalows and hostels (18.1% each), tourist villas (17.9%) and tourist boarding houses (17.4%) registered higher use indices of accommodation places.

By county, the numbers of tourists’ arrivals were the highest in Bucharest (427,100), Braşov (311,300), Prahova (129,600) and Cluj (118,500).

The arrivals of foreign visitors to Romania during Q1, according to customs, amounted to 2.23 million, 4.7% more compared to last year. Out of them, 74.3% came by road and 24.1% by air.

In the same period, the departures of Romanian visitors abroad, according to customs, amounted to 4.54 million, 5.3% more compared to last year. Romanian visitors mostly used the road and air means of transport for their departures abroad, accounting for 66.1%, respectively for 33.2% of the total departures.

editor@romania-insider.com

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