“Romanians travel more throughout their country either for business or for leisure. The average occupancy rate was 68% in the first quarter. Demand for accommodation is on the rise in Bucharest, Arad, Oradea, Sibiu and other cities,” Radu Enache told ZF.
Continental Hotels, one of the largest chains in Romania with almost 2,000 rooms, operates 14 hotels under Continental, Hello Hotels and Ibis brands. The chain also includes five-star Grand Hotel Continental in Bucharest, four-star Continental Forum in Arad, four-star Continental Forum in Oradea and Continental Forum in Sibiu, as well as lower-starred hotels.
“The hotel market has thawed, but the new tourism tax and the lack of a program to promote the country keep it from making progress. We had 2.2 million incoming tourists, while Bulgarians had 7 million. Instead of introducing the lump sum tax, which lowers appetite for investment in tourism, the government should have implemented a promotional program, rewarded the incoming travel agencies and supported tourism instead. I think investments in tourism will go down,” Radu Enache said.
National Statistics Institute data show that 2.47 million foreign tourists stayed in accommodation facilities in Romania last year, while in 2015 the number stood at 2.2 million. In Bulgaria, the number of incoming tourists was higher than its population, with 8 million incoming tourists estimated to have visited the country last year.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)