Romania’s National Authority for Tourism is positioning Romania as a top European destination for both leisure and business travel. Anca Pavel-Nedea, President, has been involved in developing Romania’s tourism industry since its beginnings, having participated in the creation of the Ana Hotels Group, a marina project in Constanta, spas and other initiatives. She discusses Romania’s tourism potential and highlights the National Authority’s current projects.
European Times: What are the National Authority for Tourism’s main goals for Romania’s tourism industry?
Anca Pavel-Nedea: The current Romanian government has placed a high priority on the tourism sector and the National Authority for Tourism has developed Romania’s first comprehensive tourism promotion plan on short-medium term (2016-2020). This plan covers all types of tourism projects in which Romania has strong growth potential, from spas to eco-tourism, agro-tourism, adventure travel, cultural visits, beach vacations on the Black Sea coast, MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and events) and more. Thanks to EU funding support for tourism marketing, for the past five years Romania promoted itself at the ITB tourism fair in Berlin recently. Romania has also participated in the World Travel Market in London, the Arabian Travel Market, and other major international tourism events.
European Times: What are some of the National Authority’s current projects?
Anca Pavel-Nedea: We are continuing to promote Romania’s tourism appeal internationally by participating in tourism-industry conferences and events throughout Europe and worldwide. We aim to establish Romania as a “tourism brand”. Local projects include the National Ecotourism Destination Network, which aims to foster sustainable tourism development in Romania and targets nine ecotourism projects around the country. We are also involved in the Integrated Territorial Investments (ITI) project for the Danube Delta, among many other initiatives.
European Times: What opportunities does Romania offer for investors in tourism?
Anca Pavel-Nedea: Romania has fantastic growth prospects in many economic sectors, and tourism is definitely one of these. We need investors in world-class hotels, especially in locations beyond Bucharest, and we need to create new training programmes for professionals in the hospitality industry. Sustainable projects in the Danube Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage area, have particularly strong potential as well, especially since the EU is investing around €1.3 billion in protecting and preserving the Delta for future generations. The National Authority for Tourism welcomes the chance to assist foreign investors in projects here in Romania. We can help provide the support and connections they need to get their projects off the ground. Any investor in tourism in Romania can look forward to excellent returns.
