Cluj-Napoca, a city in north western Romania, received some 370,000 tourists in 2016, 15% more than in the previous year, Digi24.ro reported. By comparison, the city has almost 325,000 residents, according to the latest census.

“In 2016, 15% more tourists visited Cluj-Napoca, compared to 2015. The total number of those who visited us exceeded the number of city residents. We estimate around 370,000 visitors, tourists throughout the entire 2016,” said Oana Buzatu, a spokesperson with the Cluj-Napoca City Hall, quoted by Digi24.ro.

Out of the total number of visitors, over a quarter were foreign tourists. Cluj-Napoca received 99,131 foreign tourists in 2016, according to data from the Cluj County Statistics Department, quoted by Monitorulcluj.ro. Most tourists came from neighboring Hungary (14,903), Germany (11,717), Italy (9,766), France (7,293), and Poland (6,270).

Besides becoming an important business center in recent years, Cluj-Napoca has turned into an important destination for events as it hosts two of the largest festivals in Romania: music festival Untold and Transylvania International Film Festival TIFF. In April this year, Cluj-Napoca hosted the European Gymnastics Championship. The Untold festival alone attracted some 30,000 foreign tourists at the 2016 edition, according to the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI).

Some of the most visited sites in the city are the Museum Square, the Cetăţuia Hill, which offers panoramic views of the city, the Botanical Garden, and the Central Park.

This year, the local authorities expect a growing number of tourists and plan to invest RON 9 million (EUR 2 million) in creating wider pedestrian areas and open new tourist sites.

“There is a series of special investments that will increase the interest of those who want to spend at least an extended weekend in Cluj-Napoca. We are talking about the refurbishment of well-known tourists sites, such as the Firemen Tower,” Oana Buzatu told Digi24.ro.

Air traffic wise, the Cluj-Napoca airport reported “record” numbers in 2016 as well, of almost 1.9 million passengers in 2016, up 25% on 2015.

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editor@romania-insider.com