Almost a third of holiday voucher users have chosen short weekend vacations in accessible tourist areas, representatives of the National Association of Romanian Tourist Agencies said on Thursday. The value of a vacation voucher in 2024 is RON 1,600 for public sector employees, respectively 6 gross minimum wages for the private sector. Beneficiaries spend on average another RON 1,000 per booking, above the value of the vouchers, plus other amounts for meals and activities at the destination. “The holiday vouchers are a real ‘Marshall Plan’ for Romanian tourism, this project being essential for stimulating domestic tourism, when in the off-season the occupancy rate is low. At the same time, this measure offers extra benefits to low-income employees, who often cannot afford to go on vacation. Beneficiaries can purchase a complete tourist package that includes, in addition to accommodation and meals, payment of transportation or various leisure activities and optional excursions,” said Adrian Voican, vice-president of ANAT. According to ANAT, another trend observed is that of weekend tourism, with around 30% of holiday voucher users choosing short weekend vacations in easily accessible tourist areas. ANAT supports the extension of this benefit to private sector employees on favorable terms. This year, however, the tax on vouchers has doubled and public sector employees earning more than RON 8,000 net have been excluded from the right to receive holiday vouchers, which has reduced the number of bookings in the country somewhat.
30% of holiday voucher users chose short weekend breaks
